ABU DHABI -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in was set to make a rare trip Tuesday to meet a South Korean military contingent in the United Arab Emirates under a program to help train UAE troops, followed by a meeting with the UAE prime minister and ruler of Dubai.The president will first travel to the base of the South Korean military unit, Akh, to meet its 138 service members, according to his office Cheong Wa Dae.The Akh unit has been stationed here since January 2011 to help train UAE troop

Former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Monday that the South Korean government should keep a cool head about a diplomatic opening with North Korea ahead of the planned inter-Korean summit. 　Warning of the “nature of North Korea,” Ban, who was also foreign minister here from 2004-2006, said that Pyongyang is reaching out to Seoul at this particular moment due to a faltering economy and social conditions brought on by heavy international sanctions. 　“We are very hopeful and excit

A Korean cargo ship with 24 people on board went missing in the South Atlantic about a year ago and eight Korean nationals never returned home. The victims’ families still don’t know what happened that day.The families of those who remain unaccounted for on Monday called on the government to launch an investigation and approve the use of underwater search equipment to determine the cause of the sinking of the Stellar Daisy that sank some 3,700 kilometers off Uruguay on March 31.  Families of tho

President Moon Jae-in on Monday attended a ceremony marking the completion of the United Arab Emirates’ first nuclear reactor, as he continues efforts to improve ties with the Middle Eastern state. The reactor, located in Barakah, was built by Korean engineers in a multibillion-dollar project won in 2009. Moon was accompanied by Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan. According to Cheong Wa Dae, the trip and the crown prince’s presence highlight the importance the Barakah plant h

ABU DHABI -- Korean President Moon Jae-in was set to hold talks with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi here Sunday to discuss ways to improve their countries' bilateral ties and boost economic cooperation, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said.The summit between Moon and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan will be the first of its kind since Moon took office in May 2017.Moon arrived here Saturday on an official visit that will also include a meeting with Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, pr

South Korean President Moon Jae-in dropped by a no-frills rice noodle restaurant in Hanoi for breakfast on Saturday to mingle with ordinary Vietnamese citizens on the last leg of his three-day state visit there.Moon, accompanied by first lady Kim Jung-sook, visited "Pho 10 Ly Quoc Su," a famous rice noodle restaurant popular with both Vietnamese people and foreign tourists, on Saturday morning.The diner, which is also well known among South Korean travelers as one of Hanoi's three-best rice rest

South Korean President Moon Jae-in headed for the United Arab Emirates Saturday, ending his three-day state visit to Hanoi aimed at boosting his country's bilateral trade and cooperation with Vietnam.Moon was set to arrive in Abu Dhabi later in the day. He is set to hold a bilateral summit with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan on Sunday.This is Moon's first official visit to UAE since he took office in May 2017. South Korean President Moon Jae-in, left, and first lady Kim Jung-sook atte

South Korea and Vietnam on Friday agreed to raise bilateral relations to that of strategic partners, and to increase trade to $100 billion by 2020. The agreement was included in the Korea-Vietnam joint declaration announced following President Moon Jae-in’s summit with Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang in Hanoi. President Moon Jae-in and Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang pose for a photograph before their summit in Hanoi, Vietnam, Friday. YonhapIn a joint declaration released shortly after t

US President Donald Trump’s pick of defense hawk John Bolton as his new security adviser is fueling concerns in South Korea that Washington is shifting to a tougher stance on North Korea ahead of its planned summit with Pyongyang.　Trump announced in a tweet he had tapped as his new national security adviser Bolton, a Fox News analyst and former US ambassador to the United Nations known for his hard-line stance advocating the use of military force against North Korea and Iran. 　The decision to re

HANOI -- The leaders of South Korea and Vietnam agreed Friday to work together to increase bilateral trade to more than $100 billion by 2020.South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang also agreed to deepen diplomatic ties and enhance development cooperation during their summit in Hanoi. Moon arrived in the Vietnamese capital Thursday.  "I am very glad to have visited Vietnam again as the destination of my first overseas trip this year. Vietnam is a very special co

South Korea will work closely together with incoming US National Security Advisor John Bolton, a senior presidential official said Friday, amid questions about what changes the hawkish official will bring to US policy on Pyongyang.US President Donald Trump announced earlier that Bolton will be replacing H.R. McMaster as his national security advisor next month. Bolton, who served as undersecretary of state and US ambassador to the United Nations, has long been considered one of the most hawkish

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump said Thursday he will be replacing his chief national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, with former US Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton."I am pleased to announce that, effective 4/9/18, @AmbJohnBolton will be my new National Security Advisor," Trump wrote on Twitter. "I am very thankful for the service of General H.R. McMaster who has done an outstanding job & will always remain my friend. There will be an official contact handover on 4/9."McMas

HANOI -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in is set to hold a bilateral summit with Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang in Hanoi on Friday, followed by talks with other top leaders that will likely focus on ways to enhance economic cooperation between the two countries.The Moon-Quang summit will be the second of its kind since Moon took office in May 2017. They first met on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Danang, Vietnam in November."My thoughts about Vietnam are

South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s raising of the possibility of three-way talks among Seoul, Pyongyang and Washington shows his willingness to use the upcoming summits to push for the end of the Korean War, signing of the peace treaty and denuclearization all together, experts say.Moon said the upcoming North Korea-US summit, expected to happen in May, could lead to a trilateral summit of the South, North and the US during a meeting of Seoul’s inter-Korean summit preparation committee Wednesd

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday began his state visit to Vietnam, seeking to strengthen bilateral ties and economic cooperation. As his first stop in Vietnam, Moon was to meet with Park Hang-seo, the head coach of Vietnam’s national under-23 soccer team. Moon’s second stop was to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the Vietnam-Korea Institute of Science and Technology. The institute is modeled after the Korea Institute of Science and Technology, and the $70 million cost will be divided equa