The Korea Herald

KOICA exhibition to recount Korea’s overseas aid history

Nov 10, 2015

The Korea International Cooperation Agency plans to chronicle the country’s rapid ascent from an aid recipient to an emerging donor at an exhibition in central Seoul later this month, the state aid institution said Tuesday.The event will take place from Nov. 24 for six days at the War Memorial in Yongsan, marking the 2015 Development Cooperation Week starting Nov. 23. KOICA president Kim Young-mok, Park Gi-tae ― founder of the Voluntary Agency Network of Korea focusing on cyber public diplomacy
Korean lawmakers begin 4-day visit to China

Nov 10, 2015

A bipartisan South Korean parliamentary delegation arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for a visit expected to focus on further improving relations between the two nations, a Seoul diplomat said. The 10-member delegation, led by Rep. Suh Chung-won of the ruling Saenuri Party, plans to meet with Liu Yunshan, the fifth-ranked leader of the Chinese Communist Party hierarchy, during the four-day trip. Liu held talks with North Korea's supreme leader Kim Jong-un last month and attended a key anniversary of
Korea, Japan to hold talks on 'comfort women'

Nov 10, 2015

South Korea announced Tuesday it will hold talks with Japan on one of the thorniest bilateral issues: Korean women forced to serve as sex slaves for Japanese troops during World War II.The working-level meeting will open in Seoul on Wednesday, according to the Foreign Ministry. The two sides have held nine rounds of relevant negotiations since April last year.The 10th round will fall just days after the first summit between President Park Geun-hye and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Seoul.They agre
Korea to boost ties with post-election Myanmar

Nov 10, 2015

South Korea expressed hope Tuesday for improved ties with Myanmar, lauding its peaceful general elections over the weekend.In a statement, the Foreign Ministry noted that the Sunday polls were staged in a "peaceful and orderly" manner with the active participation of local people.It described the general elections as a "historic milestone" in the development of the nation's democracy."Our government expects the Myanmar government to continue reform, opening and national development on the basis
U.S. human rights envoy to visit Korea

Nov 10, 2015

The U.S. special envoy for North Korean human rights issues will visit Seoul later this week for meetings with South Korean officials, the State Department announced Monday.Amb. Robert King will be in Seoul Nov. 11-18 "as part of regular consultations with senior Republic of Korea officials on a range of human rights and humanitarian issues," the department said in a release without elaborating.The visit comes as the international community is gearing up to increase pressure on Pyongyang over it
Korea, Iceland agree to strengthen cooperation on Arctic region

Nov 9, 2015

South Korea and Iceland agreed Monday to strengthen cooperation on the Arctic region, Cheong Wa Dae said, a move that could help explore the northern polar route that holds large potential for cost and saving time for shipping companies.The agreement was reached during the summit between President Park Geun-hye and her Iceland counterpart, Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, at the South Korean presidential office.The two sides also agreed to push for a consultative meeting to discuss their policies on the
Minister Yun calls out on N.K. in Iran

Nov 8, 2015

Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se set foot in Tehran on Saturday as Seoul’s first top diplomat in about 14 years, meeting with top officials and urging North Korea once again to follow its path to forsake nuclear weapons and regain international confidence. Yun’s trip comes after that of former minister Han Seung-soo in 2001 and three previous rounds of bilateral talks with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif on the sidelines of international conferences over the past year. The ministerial
Colombia’s infrastructures open to Korean investment

Nov 8, 2015

Colombia is an emerging country in South America that needs expertise in upgrading its inexpedient infrastructures. The country registered a 4.6 percent economic growth last year, and to tread close to its target of 3.3 percent for this year and beyond, it requires massive investments in infrastructure and residential construction. For the period 2015 to 2035, the administration of President Juan Manuel Santos has unveiled an ambitious Intermodal Transport Master Plan, aimed at boosting nationwi
Ireland’s Concern Worldwide opens office in Korea

Nov 8, 2015

Ireland’s largest humanitarian organization, Concern Worldwide, opened an office in Korea last week, laying the ground for higher cooperation between Ireland, Korea and the world, and fund-raising in Asia’s fourth-largest economy. Founded in 1968 in the wake of the Biafra Famine in Nigeria, the organization has marked its presence in all of the world’s major crises since, tackling poverty, epidemics, broken sanitation situations and natural disasters. “Our work is driven by our humanitarian iden
Georgian alphabet aspires for UNESCO listing

Nov 8, 2015

Like Korea’s Hangul, Georgia has its own alphabet. Although the script’s precise origins are unclear, it has existed for some 2,500 years, inscribed in ancient scriptures. The writing is one of the 14 predominant writing scripts around the world. It employs 33 letters that are pronounced exactly the same as in writing, being a phonemic alphabet “literally.”The Tbilisi government listed it as a national cultural heritage in March, and nominated it for the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List,
Ambassadors forecast rise of Indo-Pacific region

Nov 8, 2015

A new geopolitical concept is emerging that has far-reaching implications for the global maritime trade and security. The “Indo-Pacific” region ― comprised of the Indian Ocean’s tropical waters, the western and central Pacific Ocean and the Southeast Asian seas ― has grabbed the attention of policymakers, scholars and naval strategists worldwide. The construct has come to the fore in recent years, besetting the “Asia-Pacific” and “East Asia” in political discourse, as it better incorporates the
FM Yun meets Rouhani, Zarif in Iran

Nov 8, 2015

South Korea and Iran have agreed to strengthen political and economic partnerships as Seoul's top diplomat made a highly rare trip to the Middle Eastern nation, the Foreign Ministry said Sunday.Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se held talks with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif in Tehran on Saturday (local time). Yun also met with President Hassan Rouhani.Yun is the first South Korean foreign minister to make an official visit to Iran in 14 years.The two sides agreed that an "important cha
Korea, Japan in tug of war over sex slaves

Nov 6, 2015

South Korea and Japan appear to be in a war of nerves ahead of their high-stakes negotiations over the thorny issue of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery as they seek to gain the upper hand in the upcoming consultations. President Park Geun-hye and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe hold a summit at Cheong Wa Dae this week. (Yonhap)A Seoul official on Friday said it was Tokyo that should first propose solutions to the issue involving Korean victims of the colonial-era atrocity. His remarks came a da
Korea’s postwar rise a ‘message of hope’ for Palestinians

Nov 5, 2015

Korea’s rise from the rubble of the 1950-53 Korean War is a “message of hope” for Palestinian refugees in the war-ravaged region, the chief of a U.N. relief agency supporting them said Thursday, expressing hopes for a deeper cooperation between Seoul and his agency.Pierre Krahenbuhl, commissioner general of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, speaks during a meeting with reporters in Seoul on Thursday. (Yonhap)“Think of what has happened since the 1950s. You
[NEWSMAKER]S. China Sea issue poses challenge to Seoul

Nov 5, 2015

The ongoing dispute over the South China Sea is posing a tricky diplomatic challenge to South Korea as the U.S. appears to be increasing pressure on its ally to take its side in the name of “freedom of navigation.”Defense Minister Han Min-koo attends a parliamentary budget session on Thursday. (Yonhap)Public opinion is divided over how Seoul should handle the issue: Some argue that Seoul should keep a low profile and prevent itself from falling into a situation in which it has to choose between