WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump has named a career diplomat as his top diplomat for East Asian and Pacific affairs, the White House said Tuesday.Susan Thornton has been nominated assistant secretary of state for the region, it said in a press release, after having served in an acting capacity since March. This EPA file photo shows Susan Thornton (L), nominee for U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs. (Yonhap)Her portfolio includes the two Koreas.Thornton jo

South Korea plans to unveil next week the result of its five-month review of a controversial agreement with Tokyo aimed at settling the dispute over Japan's wartime sexual slavery.A task force set up to assess the December 2015 agreement will submit their report on Dec. 27, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.With the deal the two countries agreed to put an end to the dispute and Japan pledged to contribute 1 billion yen ($8.9 million) to a South Korean foundation dedicated to supporting the vi

SEOUL/TOKYO -- The top diplomats of South Korea and Japan reaffirmed Tuesday their close partnership in curbing North Korea's nuclear and missile development as the Seoul-Tokyo relationship still remains chilly over their historical feud. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her Japanese counterpart Taro Kono "reaffirmed their common goal of peacefully resolving the North Korean nuclear issue" during their talks in Japan earlier in the day, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. "Th

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha is scheduled to visit Japan on Tuesday with the issues of North Korea and Japan’s wartime sexual slavery of Korean women likely to loom over the entire stay. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha (Yonhap)The two-day visit will include a meeting with her Japanese counterpart Taro Kono, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Sunday. “During the meeting to be held on Tuesday, the two ministers will exchange views on issues of mutual concern, such as South Korea-Japan relations, Nor

President Moon Jae-in’s visit to China presents opportunity for South Korea to mend economic ties following a dispute over its deployment of a US anti-missile system, but challenges remain as Beijing appears to maintain its assertive stance on security issues. 　Wrapping up his four-day state visit on Saturday, President Moon received reassurance from the Chinese leaders that Beijing will resume economic and trade cooperation that has been suspended since South Korea pressed ahead with the much-c

South Korea's top diplomat will visit Japan this week to discuss North Korea and pending bilateral issues, the foreign ministry here said Sunday.Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha will leave for Tokyo on Tuesday for a two-day stay for talks with her Japanese counterpart Taro Kono, according to the ministry. It will mark the first visit by a Korean foreign minister to Japan since June 2015.  Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-hwa (Yonhap)"During the meeting to be held on Tuesday, the two ministers will exc

South Korean Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun called on North Korea to participate in the upcoming PyeongChang Winter Olympics during a ministerial meeting at the United Nations Security Council in New York on Friday local time, the foreign ministry said.(Yonhap)He said the international community and the North should use the global sports event as an opportunity to talk to each other at a time when security concerns have been mounting for months due to the North's repeated provocations

South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Saturday vowed efforts to boost his country's economic cooperation with China, saying cooperation between the countries will benefit both.(Yonhap)The president also vowed efforts to link his New North and New South policies with China's One Belt, One Road development policy."At the summit, President Xi and I agreed to actively look for ways of actual cooperation between China's One Belt, One Road initiative with South Korea's New North and New South policies

South Korean President Moon Jae-in called for increased cooperation between his country and Chongqing in a meeting with the city's Communist Party leader, who is also China's rising political star."I believe economic cooperation between South Korea and Chongqing will greatly contribute to China's development of the west, as well as balanced development of China, and I promise the South Korean government will do its utmost to boost their cooperation," the South Korean president said while meeting

South Korean President Moon Jae-in visited the former office of his country's provisional government in Chongqing on Saturday, highlighting the long history of friendship between South Korea and China, and their joint struggle against Japan's past imperialism.(Yonhap)The visit to the office of the provisional government marked the first of its kind by a South Korean president, according to the South Korean presidential office Cheong Wa Dae. The provisional government operated in China during the

North Korea's latest missile test, which U.S. experts say indicated an increasing technological sophistication, did not demonstrate an imminent threat of nuclear attack on the United States, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Friday.Defense Secretary Jim Mattis (Yonhap)“No, not yet,” Mattis said when a reporter asked whether the Nov. 29 test indicated a full capability to strike the U.S.“It has not yet shown to be a capable threat against us right now,”Mattis added. His remark suggested he believ

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday avoided a direct answer to whether he supports unconditional dialogue with North Korea."Well, we're going to see what happens with North Korea," he told reporters on the White House compound before departing for an official event. "We have a lot of support. There are a lot of nations that agree with us -- almost everybody."US Presidenet Donald Trump (Yonhap)U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said earlier this week that Washington was ready to begin talks

North Korea must "earn its way back" to the negotiating table, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Friday, backing away from an earlier offer of unconditional talks to end the stand-off with Pyongyang.Tillerson told the UN Security Council that a "sustained cessation of North Korea's threatening behavior must occur before talks can begin," apparently after coming under pressure from President Donald Trump's White House to toughen his stance.U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (front) addr

The outcome of the latest summit between the leaders of South Korea and China embodies the two nations’ willingness to work on their differences over the deployment of the THAAD anti-missile system here and reaffirm their cooperation on North Korean issues, an expert said. From left: South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. (Yonhap)“President Xi avoided directly referring to THAAD and was cautious in addressing the issue in meetings, which could indicate th

South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Friday called for joint efforts between his country and China to rid North Korea of its nuclear weapons, calling it a threat not only to South Korea but to China and its future development."North Korean nuclear and missile issues are not only limited to South Korea. North Korea is also a neighbor of China, and a rise in tension in the region due to North Korea's nuclear development is threatening the peace and development of not only South Korea but also Chi