Stephen Biegun, US deputy secretary of state and the point man on North Korea, is planning to visit South Korea as early as next month, diplomatic sources said Tuesday. Officials in Seoul and Washington have been in talks to arrange details for the envisioned trip, taking into account various circumstances amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to the sources. A local newspaper reported that Biegun plans to travel to Seoul early next month and related ministry officials in Seoul are in ta

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha on Monday described former US National Security Advisor John Bolton's memoir as being fraught with a "far-right" perspective. She made her first comment on the publication during a parliamentary session amid growing controversy here over Bolton's accounts of nuclear diplomacy with North Korea. Kang said "The Room Where It Happened" is "a book that clearly displays a far-right perspective." "It is clear that Bolton had advis

The Japanese government has raised objections to the US proposal to invite South Korea to an expanded Group of 7 summit in September, Japan’s Kyodo News reported Sunday, citing diplomatic sources from Washington and Tokyo. In a message relayed to Washington upon its announcement to have Seoul at the table for the first time, along with three other countries, Japan said South Korea prioritizes inter-Korean reconciliation and leans on China, so the engagement would be inconsistent with

The remains of six service members who died during the 1950-53 Korean War while fighting under the UN flag were sent to Hawaii, the United Nations Command (UNC) said Saturday. The remains, believed to be of Americans, were excavated at multiple locations in South Korea across various periods of time and had been kept by Seoul's defense ministry, according to the US-led UNC and the ministry. On Thursday, which marked the 70th anniversary of the onset of the conflict, the remains of the six ser

South Korea on Friday voiced "deep regrets" over recent attacks on Saudi Arabia by Yemen's Houthi rebels, reiterating any assault on civilians should not be tolerated. On Monday and Tuesday, Houthi rebels launched drone and ballistic missile attacks on several densely populated areas in Saudi Arabia, ratcheting up tensions in the conflict-laden Middle East. "The government expresses deep concerns about the drone and missile attacks targeting civilian areas, and reaffirms that a

Five South Korean sailors and a Ghanaian have been kidnapped by unidentified armed groups in waters off Benin in West Africa, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday.  Unknown gunmen, believed to be pirates, attacked the fishing vessel at about 3:40 p.m. Wednesday, Benin time, in waters 111 kilometers south of the country’s Contonou Port.  A total of 30 crew members were onboard the Ghanaian-flagged Panofi Frontier ship, but the kidnappers took off with only six people. The remaini

Diplomats of South Korea and the United States held a videoconference Thursday to prepare for annual vice-ministerial economic talks where America's push to shift global supply chains away from China could be high on the agenda. The foreign ministry said that Yang Dong-han, director-general for bilateral economic affairs, and two deputy US assistant secretaries of state -- David Meale and Marc Knapper -- discussed plans for the Senior Economic Dialogue (SED) slated for later this year. The ta

US Ambassador to Seoul Harry Harris said Thursday that the South Korea-US alliance will continue to thrive for generations to come, calling it a linchpin of regional security amid "serious threats and challenges reshaping the world." In a message marking the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War, Harris also stressed that the alliance has developed into a multidimensional partnership reinforced by "shared values, shared concerns and economic interests." "

Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo has sent letters of thanks to UN member countries that fought alongside South Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the conflict, his office said Wednesday. In letters sent to the defense ministers of the countries, Jeong expressed gratitude for the sacrifice the foreign warriors made to safeguard the democracy and peace of a country they did not even know. Jeong said thanks to the friendship and supp

WASHINGTON -- Former US National Security Adviser John Bolton on Tuesday defended his remarks on South Korea in his newly published memoir, saying it would be a "disservice" to the South Korean people if he didn't write the truth. In an interview with Fox News, Bolton was asked to comment on Cheong Wa Dae's criticism of the book, "The Room Where It Happened," as being "distorted" and based on "bias and prejudice." "Look, if you don't write the trut

The leaders of South Korea and Turkey agreed to bolster the two countries' economic partnership and cooperation on the coronavirus during their phone talks Tuesday. President Moon Jae-in and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, had the 35-minute conversation ahead of the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of Korean War, on June 25, in which Turkey fought for the South, leading to a "blood brother" relationship. During the talks, Erdogan stressed the need for close economic c

US President Donald Trump has accused former National Security Advisor John Bolton of breaking the law with his soon-to-be published memoir while retweeting a Yonhap News Agency report that the office of President Moon Jae-in criticized Bolton for distorting facts. "See, Bolton broke the law. Classified Information!" Trump said in his retweet of a Yonhap story titled, "Cheong Wa Dae says much of Bolton's memoir on Korea 'distorted.'" On Monday, the South Korean presidentia

South Korea has called on the UN cultural agency to consider removing Japanese industrial revolution sites from the World Heritage list, the foreign ministry said Tuesday, in a bid to pressure Japan to keep its pledge to honor wartime forced labor victims. On Monday, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha sent a letter to UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay to make the request, as Japan failed to deliver on its promise to ensure that a newly opened information center on 23 Meiji-era sites offer ex

A surviving Colombian veteran of the 1950-53 Korean War will share a collection of photos he took during his time of service here, as South Korea marks the 70th anniversary of the conflict this week. The 152 photos, which retired Sgt. Maj. Gilberto Diaz Velasco took, will be exhibited online on the War Memorial of Korea website for the next six months starting Friday, the Colombian Embassy in Seoul organizing the event said Tuesday. Fifty other photos, provided by several other Colombian wa

GENEVA -- The UN Human Rights Council on Monday adopted a resolution condemning North Korea‘s human rights violations for the 18th straight year. During the 43rd session held in Geneva, Switzerland, the council, consisting of 47 member countries, passed the resolution by consensus. “(The council is) deeply concerned at the systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea that, in many instances, constitute crimes against