South Korean President Moon Jae-in plans to meet with China's State Councilor Wang Yi on Thursday afternoon for discussions on such pending issues as ways to improve Seoul-Beijing ties and resume talks on North Korea's nuclear program.Wang, who doubles as foreign minister, on Wednesday began his first visit to South Korea in over four years, with relations between the neighboring countries strained over the deployment of the advanced US missile defense system, THAAD, in South Korea. During their

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called Wednesday for South Korea to make joint efforts to play a "constructive" role for regional peace and stability, casting the two countries as "close neighbors, friends and partners."  Wang made the remarks at a meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha during his first trip to Seoul since bilateral ties soured in 2016 over the installation of the US missile defense system Terminal High Altitude Area Defense on the pe

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Wednesday that Seoul and Beijing should strengthen their cooperation to protect the international order that he said had been threatened by unilateralism, amid the neighbor’s ongoing trade war with the United States.During a meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, Wang apparently asked Seoul to join Beijing in the fight against unilateralism and protectionism, a reference to US President Donald Trump’s economic policy, and crit

South Korea and the United States are working to set up a visit to Seoul by US Special Representative Stephen Biegun later this month ahead of an end-of-year deadline that North Korea set for Washington to show flexibility in their deadlocked nuclear talks, a source said Wednesday.Should the trip take place, Biegun, now the nominee for deputy secretary of state, would hold talks with his South Korean counterpart Lee Do-hoon to discuss joint efforts toward progress in the negotiations before the

South Korea said Wednesday it plans to support Uzbekistan's bid to join the World Trade Organization in line with its efforts to broaden ties with Central Asia.Trade officials from the two sides are set to begin a two-day seminar in Tashkent on Thursday to discuss how Asia's No. 4 economy can support Uzbekistan's efforts to join the global trade body.The two countries vowed to make a joint effort for Uzbekistan's accession to the WTO after holding a summit in November 2017."South Korea will

WASHINGTON -- South Korea and the United States on Tuesday began their fourth round of negotiations on sharing the costs for the upkeep of US troops in the South, with the two sides apart on how much of the burden Seoul will shoulder.Jeong Eun-bo, Seoul's chief negotiator, arrived in Washington on Monday for talks with his American counterpart, James DeHart.The negotiations are slated to run for two days through Wednesday.The US has reportedly demanded that South Korea increase its contribution

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that it is up for debate whether keeping American forces stationed in South Korea is in the US national security interest.Trump made the remark to reporters in London, where he is attending a meeting of North Atlantic Treaty Organization leaders, according to Reuters. The comment comes as the US has demanded South Korea contribute more to the upkeep of 28,500 American troops in the country, with negotiations over a new cost-sharing deal curren

Japan's new ambassador to South Korea, Koji Tomita, pledged Tuesday to play a “bridge-building” role to help address a row between Seoul and Tokyo over trade and wartime history. Tomita made the remarks upon arriving here and noted that he is aware of the “very difficult situation” between the two countries, which have long been plagued by historical and territorial feuds. The veteran diplomat, noted for his expertise in diplomacy with the United States, replace

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry called for dialogue with Japan on Tuesday after the latter reneged on its pledge to acknowledge Korean victims of forced labor at its UNESCO World Heritage sites. On Monday, the UN cultural agency’s World Heritage Center posted on its website Japan’s second report on the implementation of follow-up measures regarding the inscription of the sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution. In the report, Japan failed to state progress on the acti

South Korea’s chief negotiator in defense cost-sharing talks with the United States said Monday that the two sides should share the burdens in a fair and reasonable manner within the current framework.“Ultimately, the most important principle is that the negotiations must contribute towards the Korea-US alliance and joint defense posture,” Jeong Eun-bo, the top envoy to the Special Measures Agreement negotiations, told reporters as he arrived at Washington’s Dulles Intern

WASHINGTON -- The top US diplomat for East Asia said Monday that he sees opportunities for further cooperation with South Korea and Japan as the two countries' capabilities have grown "exponentially" in recent decades.The comment by David Stilwell, US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, comes as Seoul and Washington have been negotiating the terms of a new deal on sharing the costs for the stationing of 28,500 American troops in South Korea.The fourth round

WASHINGTON -- South Korea's top negotiator in defense cost-sharing talks with the United States said Monday that he believes the two sides will be able to strike a "win-win" deal based on their common understanding of the bilateral alliance.Jeong Eun-bo, the top envoy to the Special Measures Agreement negotiations, made the comment upon arriving at Washington's Dulles International Airport ahead of the fourth round of talks slated for Tuesday and Wednesday.The previous round of talks i

South Korea will strive to strike a "mutually acceptable" defense cost-sharing deal with the United States, though the allies might miss the end-of-year deadline, the top South Korean negotiator said Monday.Jeong Eun-bo, Seoul's chief negotiator for the Special Measures Agreement, made the remarks as he left for Washington to meet with his US counterpart, James DeHart of the State Department, for a fourth round of the negotiations slated for Tuesday through Wednesday (US time).The late

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen agreed in phone talks Sunday to work together to further develop ties between Seoul and the European Union and bring lasting peace to Korea, Cheong Wa Dae said.They "discussed the development of South Korea-EU relations and regional security conditions" during the phone session arranged at the request of "the European Union side," it said.The conversation came shortly after she was sworn

South Korea and the United States will resume negotiations next week on sharing of the cost of stationing American troops here after their latest talks broke down due to differences over how much Seoul should pay for its share. Jeong Eun-bo, South Korea's chief negotiator for the defense cost-sharing talks, will meet with his US counterpart, James DeHart of the State Department, in Washington on Tuesday and Wednesday (US time), Seoul's foreign ministry said in a release.The previous negotiations