South Korea's foreign ministry reiterated its "foremost priority" to protect its citizens' health and safety Friday in dealing with Japan's potential discharge of contaminated water from its crippled Fukushima nuclear plant. The ministry also said the government has been handling the issue under a vice-ministerial inter-agency dialogue platform, amid public safety concerns over Japanese media reports that Tokyo has decided to release it into the sea with an official announcement likel

WASHINGTON -- US Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden lashed out at President Donald Trump on Thursday, arguing that he has made the United States less secure and more isolated in the world. The former vice president also claimed the US president has made the United States a laughing stock on the global stage. "We find ourselves in a position where we're more isolated in the world than we have ever been," Biden said, adding Trump's America First policy has left "America a

WASHINGTON -- Asian American voters, including Pacific Islanders, will play a major role in determining who will win in many of the most closely contested states of the upcoming US presidential election, a group of supporters for Democratic candidate Joe Biden said Thursday. They said the number of registered Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) voters more than doubled over the last decade, making them the fastest growing block of voters in the US. "There are over 11 million eligib

WASHINGTON -- There exists no difference of opinion between South Korea and the United States on the need to formally end the Korean War as part of the process to denuclearize North Korea, South Korea's national security adviser said, adding it is "common sense" that the two issues go together. Suh Hoon, director of South Korea's National Security Office, said the only issue was when a declaration of the war's end could or should be made. "The issue of declaring the war's end is

First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun met with the new European Union (EU) ambassador to South Korea on Thursday and discussed bilateral ties and other issues of mutual concern, the foreign ministry said. During the meeting with Maria Castillo Fernandez, Choi expressed hope that the strategic partnership between Seoul and the 27-member economic bloc will develop further by expanding high-level exchanges in various fields, such as transportation, trade and climate change. Castillo Fernande

Top national security officials of South Korea and the United States held talks in Washington, DC this week and reaffirmed that their alliance remains robust, Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday. Suh Hoon, director of national security at the presidential office, arrived in the US on Tuesday (local time) for his first trip to the US since assuming the post in July. He met with his White House counterpart Robert O'Brien the following day for discussions on issues of mutual concern, including recent Kor

Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Gunn will visit Mexico next week for talks with his counterpart and other officials over economic cooperation, including the resumption of bilateral free trade talks, the foreign ministry said Thursday. During his visit from Monday to Wednesday, Kim plans to separately meet his counterpart, Julian Ventura, as well as officials from the South Korea-Mexico parliamentarian friendship group and chiefs of South Korean businesses operating in the country. At the talks wit

WASHINGTON -- South Korea's national security advisor Suh Hoon has been in Washington on a previously unannounced trip and has already met with his US counterpart Robert O'Brien, multiple sources confirmed Wednesday. Suh arrived in Washington on Tuesday, an informed source said on condition of anonymity without providing further details, including what the purpose of his trip was. O'Brien later confirmed Suh's visit, saying in a tweet that they met earlier in the day. "Great to see my fr

WASHINGTON -- US Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Wednesday highlighted the importance of what he called a more "equitable" sharing of costs to maintain US troops in South Korea, saying it would ensure the "stable stationing" of US troops in the Asian ally. His remarks came in an annual meeting of defense ministers of the two countries, known as the Security Consultative Meeting (SCM). "We must find a more equitable means of sharing the costs of our common defense, so i

WASHINGTON -- The United States is committed to the envisioned transition of the wartime operational control (OPCON) of South Korean forces back to Seoul, but it will take time to meet the required conditions, US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Wednesday. Esper made the remark at the start of annual defense talks with his South Korean counterpart, Suh Wook, amid growing speculation that the OPCON transfer is unlikely to be completed before the term of President Moon Jae-in ends in May 2022.

First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun met separately Wednesday with the ambassadors of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia for talks on bilateral ties and other issues, the foreign ministry said. In the talks with Ambassadors Abdullah Saif Nuaimi of the UAE and Riyad Ahmed Al Mubaraky of Saudi Arabia, Choi asked for the two countries' keen attention to enhancing bilateral cooperation in coronavirus responses so as to expand the scope of such cooperation to a wider range of hea

Korean survivor of Japanese military sexual slavery demands that statue be allowed to stay

South Korean Ambassador to New Zealand Lee Sang-jin admitted Wednesday that his embassy's handling of a sexual harassment case involving a senior diplomat was insufficient. Lee made the remarks during a video-linked parliamentary audit session in response to a lawmaker's question about the 2017 case, although the ambassador was not serving at the embassy at the time. A local employee at the embassy has accused the diplomat of groping him multiple times. The case resurfaced in July when New Zea

The Navy launched annual cruise training on a smaller scale Wednesday amid the virus pandemic, which includes visits to Guam and Malaysia for the delivery of medical items to Korean War veterans and overseas Koreans, officials said. The Navy Cruise Training Task Group, consisting of the 4,400-ton destroyer Kang Gam-chan and the 10,000-ton logistics support ship Soyang, set sail from the southern resort island of Jeju with 540 sailors aboard, including 147 naval cadets, on the day. During the 7

BERLIN -- A Berlin district office has withheld its order to remove a statue symbolizing victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery following protests from activists and citizens. The Mitte district office said in a statement Tuesday that the order to remove "The Statue of Peace" by Wednesday was no longer applicable due to an injunction filed by local civic group Korea Verband, which brands itself as a platform for all who are interested in Korea. "We will take time to thoroughl