Hundreds of tons of South Korean rice will be shipped to Southeast Asian developing countries as part of an international food aid program for the first time in history, the agriculture ministry said Thursday.A container vessel carrying 250 tons of rice will depart for the Cambodian port of Sihanoukville on Thursday, while 500 tons will go to Myanmar on Friday, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. An official packs a 40-kilogram rice sack for the APTERR food aid prog

A special envoy of South Korean President Moon Jae-in arrived in China on Thursday for discussions on a summit between the countries' heads of state and ways to contain North Korea.Also high on the agenda for the special envoy, Lee Hae-chan, was a prolonged row between Seoul and Beijing over the deployment of the US missile defense system THAAD in South Korea, officials from Seoul's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae noted.President Moon Jae-in (left) shakes hands with his special envoy to China,

WASHINGTON -- A special envoy of South Korean President Moon Jae-in met with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, an official said.Special envoy Hong Seok-hyun held the meeting with Trump at the White House for 10 minutes from 3:50 p.m. and handed him a letter from Moon, the official said. Also in attendance were National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster and Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, the official said. US special envoy Hong Seok-hyun (Yonhap)It was the first time Tru

With a trade of phone calls and special envoys, President Moon Jae-in is kick-starting top-level diplomacy, bringing an end to a monthslong vacuum that sparked concerns about Seoul’s weakened voice on North Korea and other pressing foreign policy and security issues. Moon’s messengers to the US and Japan, former Chairman of JoongAng Media Network Hong Seok-hyun and senior Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Moon Hee-sang, respectively embarked on their trips early Wednesday.President Moon Jae-in

The long-standing dispute over wartime sexual slavery has resurfaced to strain South Korea-Japan relations, as the government change in Seoul and a UN experts panel's recommendation lent momentum for redressing a 2015 deal aimed at resolving one of the trickiest issues between the two nations. President Moon Jae-in, who took office last Wednesday, called for the renegotiation of the much-criticized agreement during his campaign. In a telephone conversation with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

South Korea's unification ministry on Wednesday expressed a need to reopen an inter-Korean communication hotline, which was severed early last year following North Korea's nuclear and missile tests.In February 2016, North Korea cut off two inter-Korean communication channels as it expelled remaining South Koreans from a joint industrial park in response to South Korea's closure of the Kaesong complex.The Ministry of Unification (Yonhap)One of them is a hotline at a liaison office located at the

The ASEAN-Korea Center has organized various cultural events throughout May and June, which have been designated as ASEAN Months to mark the 50th anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations this year. To uplift and strengthen bilateral relations between ASEAN and the Republic of Korea -- strategic partners since 2010 -- this year has been named the ASEAN-ROK Cultural Exchange Year. The intergovernmental organization will host academic lectures on the regional bloc’s diverse culture

The Polish Embassy last week marked the birth of the country’s modern Constitution, the second of its kind in the world following the US Constitution of 1787.On every May 3 in Poland, people celebrate the creation of the supreme law in 1791, which has been credited with ushering in modern democracy and national development in the Central European country. Next year will be the centenary of Poland’s independence and in 2019, Poland and Korea will mark 30 years of diplomatic relations. “Our Polish

When Norway voted for the second time not to join the European Union through a referendum in 1994, the country had just brokered the Oslo peace agreement between the Israelis and Palestinians and hosted the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer. Confidence was in the air, recalled Norwegian Ambassador to Korea Jan Grevstad. Norway, an affluent, benevolent and confident country always “on the doorstep” of the EU, but adroitly outside, had since moved on without regrets, the envoy said in an interview.“T

South Korea's foreign ministry said Tuesday that it is reviewing a UN panel's recent recommendation that a 2015 deal reached with Japan on its wartime sexual slavery be modified to sufficiently help and support the victims. South Korea and Japan agreed to the deal in December 2015 under which Tokyo provided 1 billion yen ($9.1 million) to support the lives of South Korean victims. Critics, however, have accused it of lacking any prior consultation with the victims, as well as Japan's sincere apo

President Moon Jae-in and his US counterpart Donald Trump are expected to hold their first summit next month in Washington, as they seek to coordinate North Korea policy following their respective leadership transitions, officials said Tuesday. A visiting delegation of White House officials in charge of Korea affairs met with a group of foreign affairs and security advisers for Moon, chaired by former Ambassador to Geneva Chung Eui-yong. The representatives, led by Matt Pottinger, senior directo

South Korea and China appear to be moving toward mending their strained ties over the installation of a US missile defense system here as exchanges and contacts in diverse areas have apparently been gaining traction since the inauguration of liberal President Moon Jae-in, experts said Tuesday.The recently wrapped-up international forum hosted by China, in particular, served as a "good starter" for the two Asian neighbors' push to keep their ties back on track and maintain a unified approach to t

South Korea and the United States agreed Tuesday to work toward the "complete" denuclearization of North Korea, also vowing to seek new and practical ways to rid the communist North of its nuclear weapons, Seoul officials said.The agreement came at a meeting between South Korean officials and US National Security Council officials."The United States reaffirmed its strong commitment to the security and defense of South Korea," Yoon Young-chan, the top press secretary of South Korean President Moo

A South Korean importer has been arrested for selling American lobsters under a Canadian label for two and a half years, the South Regional Headquarters of the Korea Coast Guard said Tuesday.The importer, identified only as 53-year-old Kim, is accused of importing 18 tons of American lobsters worth 2.13 billion won ($1.9 million) in 321 shipments from September 2014 to March this year and selling them to local restaurants as more expensive Canadian products, the maritime police agency said. Lobs

BEIJING -- Chinese State Councilor for Foreign Affairs Yang Jiechi has called for joint efforts to repair South Korea-China relations under the new Moon Jae-in administration, a South Korean delegation said Tuesday. A South Korea delegation led by Rep. Park Byeong-seug of the ruling Democratic Party held talks with Yang on Monday evening on the sidelines of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, which wrapped up its two-day run in Beijing the same day. Rep. Park Byeong-seug of th