SEOUL/JAKARTA -- Two ships with South Korean crew members have been held in Indonesia, one for more than three months, for violating territorial waters, the foreign ministry said Wednesday. On Oct. 9, Indonesia‘s Navy seized a Panama-flagged liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carrier, which was en route to Singapore.Aboard were a South Korean captain and eight South Korean and eight Indonesian sailors.  Last Thursday, Indonesian authorities also impounded a South Korean cargo ship at the s

South Korea is looking at ways to contribute to the security of the Strait of Hormuz off the Iranian coast from “multiple angles,” according to the Foreign Ministry on Wednesday, after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo raised the issue during his talks with Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha in the US.In their meeting in Palo Alto, California, Tuesday (US time), which covered outstanding issues between the allies including North Korea, Pompeo urged Seoul to bear responsibility to safegu

The United States on Tuesday sanctioned two North Korean entities, including one based in China, for involvement in North Korean labor exports in violation of international sanctions.The US Treasury Department said it is targeting a North Korean trading corporation, Namgang Trading Corp., and a China-based North Korean lodging facility, Beijing Sukbakso, for facilitating North Korea's practice of sending laborers abroad."The exportation of North Korean workers raises illicit revenue for the

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday called for collective efforts to safeguard the Strait of Hormuz, a South Korean official said, suggesting that Washington seeks increased commitments from Seoul.Pompeo and South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha held talks in Palo Alto, California, to discuss the situation in the Middle East and North Korea.The meeting came as Seoul has been looking at options to support U.S.-led security operations in the Middle East amid heightened tensions bet

LOS ANGELES -- US President Donald Trump on Monday sent a congratulatory message for Korean American Day, noting the contributions Korean Americans have made to the country, the South Korean consulate in Los Angeles said.In 2005, the US Congress passed a resolution to commemorate Jan. 13 as the day the first wave of Korean immigrants arrived in Hawaii in 1903 to work on sugarcane plantations. "Our country is continuously enriched by the contributions of Korean Americans," Trump wrote i

WASHINGTON -- The United States said Monday it is keeping South Korea on a list of countries to monitor for currency practices.The US Treasury Department published the decision in a semiannual report to Congress, which also included nine other countries, including China, Japan and Germany, in the monitoring list. China had previously been listed as a currency manipulator. South Korea had hoped to be exempted after the Treasury indicated in its previous report in May that the fourth-largest Asian

South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha left for the US on Monday to discuss outstanding issues between the two allies, including the possibility of dispatching troops to the Middle East and stalled denuclearization talks with North Korea. Kang is set to meet US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in San Francisco on Tuesday (US time), nine months after their last talks in Washington in March. She is also expected to meet Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, who is visiting S

South Korea and the United States have made progress "to some extent" in their negotiations for determining Seoul's share of the costs for stationing American troops here, Seoul's chief negotiator said Monday. Jeong Eun-bo made the remark as he was leaving for Washington to hold another round of talks with his US counterpart, James DeHart, set to run through Wednesday."We assess that progress has been made to some extent and that we have broadened our understanding through the ser

South Korea plans to launch an electronic travel authorization (ETA) system for foreign visitors next year, following the parliament's approval of a relevant law early this week, the Ministry of Justice said Saturday.The National Assembly's plenary session on Thursday passed a revision of the Immigration Law on the introduction of the ETA system to help facilitate the entry of foreign tourists and prevent illegal stays by foreigners, the ministry said. Under the legal revision, citizens from vis

The foreign ministry has called in Iran's top envoy in South Korea to lodge a protest over his reported remarks hinting at the possibility that Tehran could sever ties with Seoul should it send troops to the tense Strait of Hormuz, an official said Saturday.On Friday, the ministry brought in Iranian Ambassador to South Korea Saeed Badamchi Shabestari and checked if he made the remarks as reported in the local daily Joong-Ang Ilbo on the day, according to the official.The ambassador reportedly to

The United States Senate unanimously adopted a resolution this week recognizing the importance of the US alliance with South Korea, Congress' website showed Friday.The resolution, introduced in April by a bipartisan group of lawmakers, passed the Senate by unanimous consent on Wednesday.It notes that the two countries "enjoy a comprehensive alliance partnership, founded in shared strategic interests and cemented by a commitment to democratic values." It also praises the contributions o

South Korea's public safety and health agency on Friday asked China to provide information on the new type of coronavirus that is suspected of having caused pneumonia-like illness in recent weeks.The request comes two days after the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the country's first suspected case of the illness that has caused alarm in China for weeks.A 36 year-old Chinese woman, who visited the city of Wuhan in China's Hubei Province last month, reportedly showed sym

Trump's birthday wishes to NK leader relayed through Seoul

South Korea’s top diplomat vowed to put citizens and the national interest first in dealing with a range of security issues, including the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. “Since the beginning of the year, it has been a whirlwind. Due to the tension in the Middle East, I think it will be a busy year ahead,” Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters Thursday at a New Year’s press event in Seoul. “The Foreign Ministry has been proactive in response to th

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha to meet US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo next week in San Francisco