U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called Monday for the "faithful implementation" of a landmark agreement between South Korea and Japan on resolving the issue of Japan's wartime sexual slavery.Ban made the remark during a high-level panel discussion at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, referring to the December deal between Seoul and Tokyo that centers on Japan's admission of responsibility for the wartime crime and plans to pay reparations to the victims."The agreement last December between

The Philippine embassy will showcase two of the country’s critically acclaimed movies -- “Bonifacio” (2014) and “Heneral Luna” (2015) -- at the “Cinema Sentro Festival” at the Lee Byung Hyung Hall of the War Memorial of Korea in Seoul on March 6.The initiative, part of the embassy’s efforts to promote Philippine arts and culture in Korea, is the first major cultural event of this year, alongside the launch of the Philippine Cultural Center “Sentro Rizal” in Seoul. According to the embassy, the t

China's chief nuclear envoy arrived in Seoul on Sunday for talks with key South Korean officials to coordinate the countries' response to North Korea's recent nuclear and long-range rocket tests.Wu Dawei is scheduled to first meet with his South Korean counterpart Hwang Joon-kook Sunday afternoon before holding talks with Seoul's foreign minister a day later, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "As strategic partners, China and South Korea could discuss any kinds of issues between us,"

The U.N. special rapporteur on North Korea's human rights situation urged Russia Friday against implementing an extradition treaty with North Korea, saying it could lead to the forced repatriation of North Korean workers in Russia.Marzuki Darusman expressed alarm at the deal signed earlier this month, noting it calls for "transferring and readmitting individuals 'who have illegally' left their country and stay 'illegally' in another's territory."About 10,000 North Koreans are estimated to be wor

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Thursday that China's national security interests could be "jeopardized or threatened" by the THAAD missile defense system the U.S. and South Korea are considering deploying to better cope with threats from North Korea.Speaking at a think tank in Washington, Wang said he understands the U.S. and the South want to ensure their own security, but the "X-band radar" associated with the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system "has a radius that goes fa

China's defense ministry on Thursday voiced fresh opposition to the possible deployment of an advanced U.S. missile defense system in South Korea.    South Korea decided to start formal talks with the U.S. to adopt the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery, in the wake of North Korea's fourth nuclear test and rocket launch this year.    China has long been opposed to the THAAD battery in South Korea, claiming it undermines Beijing's national security interests.    During a monthly

Among dual-income couples in their 20-40s, the wives spend more than twice the time than their husband in taking care of children, a government study said Tuesday. The Health and Welfare Ministry unveiled results of a survey conducted from Dec. 7-20 on 2,000 South Koreans aged 19 or more about low fertility and aging trends. According to its outcome, the mothers of elementary school-level or younger children spend an average of 2.48 hours a day on weekdays and 4.21 hours on weekends taking care

South Korea condemned Japan's dispatch of a senior government official Monday to a local event aimed at publicizing its claim to Dokdo, a pair of outcroppings in the East Sea.   In a statement, the Foreign Ministry stressed that Dokdo is South Korea's territory historically, geographically, and under international law.   It urged Japan to immediately stop such a territorial provocation and "humbly face up to its history" of aggression and imperialism.   Earlier in the day, the Shinzo Abe adminis