An international cruise ship operator has cut the number of its services linking China directly with South Korea, a move deemed to be in line with Beijing's retaliatory steps against Seoul's planned installment of a US anti-missile defense system, industry sources said Tuesday.According to the sources, MSC, which operates cruise ships departing from the Northeastern Chinese city of Tianjin directly bound for South Korea, now offers three fewer trips than usual as of the start of this year. The c

South Korea's Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn will meet US Defense Secretary James Mattis this week to discuss joint efforts to counter North Korea's growing military threats and enhance the bilateral alliance, Hwang's office said Tuesday.The meeting will be held at Hwang's office in Seoul at 5 p.m. Thursday. Mattis will begin his two-day visit to South Korea that runs through Friday as part of his first overseas trip since taking office on Jan. 20.Acting president and prime mi

US President Donald Trump should never settle for a freeze on North Korea's nuclear programs as it amounts to accepting the communist nation as a nuclear power, a senior American expert on Korea said.David Straub, a former State Department diplomat handling Korean Peninsula issues, also said in an op-ed piece carried by the newspaper The Hill that the Trump administration should ramp up pressure on Pyongyang to force it to genuine denuclearization talks.US President Donald Trump (Yonhap)A growin

The Italian Embassy in Seoul celebrated the publication of novels in Korean by renowned author Elena Ferrante at a book talk on Jan. 19. The event at the embassy marked last year’s translated release of the first two of “The Neapolitan Novels,” a four-part series comprised of “My Brilliant Friend” (2012), “The Story of a New Name” (2013), “Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay” (2014) and “The Story of the Lost Child” (2015). The books are published by Hangilsa Publishing Company Limited, which pri

The Korea Herald Young Diplomats Academy and the Young Opinion Leaders’ Knowledge Forum -- youth camps providing interaction with foreign diplomats, business leaders, renowned scholars and legal experts -- inspired young generations last week. The event at Yonsei International Campus in Songdo, Incheon, from Jan. 20-22 attracted over 100 students from elementary, middle and high schools across the country. The forum is tailored to middle and high school students, while the academy is designed fo

Indonesian Ambassador John Aristianto Prasetio held his last meeting Thursday with Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, wrapping up 4 1/2 years in Korea that culminated in President Joko Widodo’s visit last year amid deepening bilateral ties. The event took place in a “warm environment” at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul, according to the Indonesian Embassy, with both diplomats taking stock of bilateral progress before and after Widodo’s state visit to Korea last May. 　“This great achi

Before the advent of K-pop, the Kim Sisters rocked America’s postwar music scene with their colorful tunes, zestful tones and exotic eyes. The trio starred on the Ed Sullivan Show more than 22 times with the likes of Elvis Presley, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Poster children of Korea’s postwar pop, they were the first Asian girl group to debut in Las Vegas and introduce the unknown country’s charming voices to American audiences throughout the 1960s and ‘70s.The group comprised of Kim So

A Seoul court settled a local dispute between management agencies following apparent moves by China to ban South Korean performers from operating in the country, records showed Monday.The Seoul Central District Court ruled against a local KOSDAQ listed K-pop management agency that filed a suit demanding the return of 260 million won ($222,700) in payment made to another entertainment firm. The contract called for the plaintiff, identified only as "management agency A" to get exclusive control ov

US President Donald Trump reaffirmed Washington's "ironclad commitment" to South Korea's defense and agreed to take steps to bolster joint defense capabilities, the White House said Sunday.Trump made the remark when he spoke by phone with South Korea's Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn and discussed the importance of the alliance between the two countries, the White House said in a statement."President Trump reiterated our ironclad commitment to defend the (Republic of Korea), in

With Korea’s overseas aid having taken root, the next government should establish and institutionalize the model of the country’s official development assistance in its policy framework to shore up its role as an emerging donor, the chief of the Korea International Cooperation Agency said. In recent years, whether and how to define Korea’s ODA model has surfaced as one of the most hotly debated topics in the field. Some policymakers and scholars argue a model would help boost the country’s edge

A Japanese hotel under fire for providing books denying the country's past wrongdoings offered on Wednesday to remove them before hosting South Korean athletes for an upcoming competition.The decision by APA Hotel and Resort in Sapporo, which will be used as athletes' quarters during the Feb. 19-26 Asian Winter Games, came hours after the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee demanded appropriate steps be taken.APA Hotel and Resort (Yonhap)The KSOC lodged a formal complaint with the Japanese Olympi

Top nuclear envoys of South Korea, the United States and Japan will likely meet in Washington next month to discuss cooperation in dealing with North Korea's evolving nuke threats, a diplomatic source said Wednesday.Kim Hong-kyun, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs at the foreign ministry, is arranging a meeting with his US and Japanese counterparts, Joseph Yun and Kenji Kanasugi, according to the source. "The meeting is being arranged for the middle of Februa

International relations are expected to undergo great changes under the Donald Trump administration. The new US leader’s pragmatist view of world affairs, highlighted in his presidential campaign process, will come to the fore, influencing American foreign policy. It is, in a sense, a more business-like approach than a political one. It instinctively aims to seek self-interest, or “America First.” In this vein, the Trump administration will likely design a foreign policy that would distance itse

The Filipino government on Tuesday officially apologized to its South Korean counterpart over a Korean businessman who was kidnapped and killed by local police officers last year.Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella conveyed condolences to the bereaved family of the man in his 50s, surnamed Ji, who was abducted and strangled to death by policemen for ransom in October. The apology came a few days after three Filipinos, including two police officers, were arrested over their involvement in the c

South Korea's Ambassador to the United Nations Cho Tae-yul has been elected to chair the international body's commission on peace building, the foreign ministry here said Tuesday.Cho will officially take office as the chairman of the Peacebuilding Commission on Wednesday in New York for a one-year term, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Composed of 31 member states, the PBC was established in December 2005 as an intergovernmental advisory body under the UN with a mission to provide r