The Korea Herald

[Newsmaker] Abe in Seoul amid frosty ties

Nov 1, 2015

After years of bitter ties between Seoul and Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrived at Seongnam Airbase, Gyeonggi Province, Sunday, for a trilateral meeting and his first-ever talk with President Park Geun-hye on Monday.Though previous leaders of the two countries have held summits at least once a year ― visiting each other quite on a regular basis ― Monday’s summit is the first of its kind since May 2012, when Park’s predecessor Lee Myung-bak sat down with the then Japanese Premier Y
[Herald Interview] Expert calls for bottom-up approach to aid

Nov 1, 2015

As fragmentation and a lack of long-term vision continue to plague Korea’s aid system, the government should rethink its top-down approach and embrace different parts of society in its decision-making process, a leading scholar said. Sohn Hyuk-sang, a professor at Kyung Hee University’s Graduate School of Public Policy and Civic Engagement, stressed the need for across-the-board cooperation not only within government organizations, but also with businesses and civil society in carrying out a new
[Graphic News] Seoul, Beijing to collaborate on vision of transcontinental networks

Nov 1, 2015

South Korea and China on Saturday agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation on their shared vision of building logistics, trade and infrastructure networks that connect Asia, Europe and Africa.Citing similarities between Seoul’s “Eurasia Initiative” and Beijing’s “Belt and Road Initiative,” the two sides said they would collaborate in a wide range of fields including policy formulation, infrastructure connectivity, investments and trade promotion, and financial cooperation. The agreement was si
S. Korea, China, Japan agree to bolster cooperation, dialogue

Nov 1, 2015

Leaders agree to speed up FTA talks, bolster e-commerce cooperation
Trilateral summit spurs cooperation momentum

Nov 1, 2015

Seoul, Beijing, Tokyo seek to restore three-way partnership
China's No. 2 man expresses will to recommend 'samgyetang'

Nov 1, 2015

Visiting Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said Sunday he will recommend "samgyetang," or South Korea's ginseng chicken soup, to his people, a day after the neighbors agreed to draw up rules to pave the way for exporting the signature dish to China. "I will recommend samgyetang to China through this visit ...which will allow more (Chinese) people to enjoy this delicious food," Li said in his congratulatory remarks during the closing ceremony of the 2015 China Visit Year in Seoul.On Saturday, the two na
Korea, Japan FMs discuss agenda of summit talks

Nov 1, 2015

The top diplomats of South Korea and Japan on Sunday tried to narrow differences in the interpretation of shared history ahead of a summit between the leaders of the two sides.Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se talked for 50 minutes with his Japanese counterpart, Fumio Kishida, in Seoul on the eve of the bilateral meeting between President Park Geun-hye and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe."The main purpose (of the Yun-Kishida talks) was to prepare for the South Korea-Japan summit tomorrow," a South Korean
Leaders of Korea, Japan and China hold talks in more than 3 years

Nov 1, 2015

The leaders of South Korea, Japan and China called Sunday for cooperation in the region long mired in historical and territorial disputes as they met for the first time in more than three years.The meeting represents the resumption of a trilateral summit, which had been suspended since 2012 due to a territorial dispute between China and Japan, as well as Japan's attempts to whitewash its wartime atrocities and colonial occupation.President Park Geun-hye said the three countries are deepening the
Indonesia approves budget for joint development of Korean fighter jet

Oct 31, 2015

The Indonesian parliament has approved the first batch of funds for joint development of a new South Korean fighter jet with stealth capabilities, government officials said Saturday, amid mounting questions here over the possibility of the very project.According to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the Indonesian parliament approved a 1.07-trillion-Rupiah (US$78.6 million) budget Friday to be invested in South Korea's fighter jet development project, called KF-X.The money is th
Park holds talks with Chinese PM

Oct 31, 2015

President Park Geun-hye began talks with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Saturday ahead of a trilateral summit with Japan. Park and Li are expected to discuss ways to further boost bilateral relations and exchange opinions on issues of mutual interest, including North Korea's nuclear weapons program, according to South Korean officials. Li arrived in Seoul earlier in the day in his first trip to South Korea since 2013 when he took office. Park and Li are set to meet with Japanese Prime Mini
Korea set for first-ever gov't event with Macedonia

Oct 30, 2015

South Korea plans to hold its first-ever governmental event with Macedonia this week, as the two sides have no formal diplomatic relations, an official said Thursday.The 2015 Korean Culture Week is to open later in the day in the Balkan country's capital Skopje for a three-day run."It's the first culture event for our government to hold in cooperation with the government of Macedonia, with which South Korea has not established diplomatic relations," the Foreign Ministry's spokesman Noh Kwang-il
Park hopes to resolve wartime sex slave issue this year

Oct 30, 2015

President Park Geun-hye expressed hope Friday that Seoul and Tokyo could resolve this year the issue of former South Korean sex slaves for Japan's World War II soldiers, in the latest pressure on Japan ahead of the crucial summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe next week."It is important for Japan to quickly offer measures to resolve the issue in a way that victims can accept and South Koreans can understand," Park said in a written interview with Japan's Asahi Shimbun and Mainichi Shimb
Korea, Japan should open talks to tackle sex slavery issue: ex-Japan PM

Oct 29, 2015

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe should make a determination to embark on sincere negotiations with South Korea over the resolution of Tokyo's wartime sex enslavement of Korean women, a former Japanese premier said Thursday.Tomiichi Murayama made the remarks a few days before the leaders from South Korea and Japan will hold their first summit in more than three years next Monday amid diplomatic tension over Japan's sex slaves during World War II.Murayama said that Abe should lead Seoul and Tok
Constructive Korea-Japan relations strategic priority for U.S.: State Department

Oct 29, 2015

Constructive relations between South Korea and Japan are a strategic priority for the United States, the State Department said Wednesday after the two American allies agreed to hold the first summit of their leaders in more than three years.The planned summit between South Korean President Park Geun-hye and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe would mark the first bilateral summit between the two countries in about three and a half years and could serve as a turning point in their long-frayed rela
Sweeping partnerships key to post-2015 development era

Oct 28, 2015

With a new development agenda taking off over the next 15 years, traditional and emerging donors should join forces alongside the private sector, civil society and other non-state actors to beef up financial sources and leverage inclusive growth, leading international policymakers said Tuesday. The Korea Herald brought together four officials from around the world to explore ways to better implement the Sustainable Development Goals set forward early this year by 193 countries at the U.N. They a