South Korea and Japan were to hold a working-level defense policy meeting Wednesday to discuss regional security and cooperation on the defense segment. The 21st round of the working-level defense policy conference will be held at the Defense Ministry in Seoul later in the day, with the South Korean side headed by Yoon Soon-ku, the ministry's director general on international policy, and the Japanese side headed by his counterpart, Atsuo Suzuki, according to the ministry. The meeting marks the r

Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se arrived in Malaysia Tuesday for a series of regional talks where the territorial dispute in the South China Sea and North Korea's nuclear weapons program are expected to be high on the agenda.Yun will join the ASEAN-led meetings for two days starting Wednesday while also holding bilateral talks with his counterparts from major participating nations on the sidelines.For South Korea, the ASEAN Regional Forum on Thursday will be a key platform on which it can drum up i

The United States said Monday its intelligence activities are aimed at meeting its national security needs as well as those of its allies and partners after allegations surfaced that it spied on Japanese officials and firms.The whistleblower Wikileaks on Friday disclosed what it claimed was a National Security Agency list of 35 Japanese targets of wiretapping, including the Japanese Cabinet office, Bank of Japan officials, the Finance and Trade Ministry as well as such companies as Mitsubishi an

A Japanese opposition leader vowed Monday to make efforts to develop the Seoul-Tokyo relationship into a future-oriented one in a landmark year, despite many challenges such as tension over their shared history.Katsuya Okada, leader of Japan's opposition Democratic Party, made the remarks in his meeting in Seoul with Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se. Okada arrived in Seoul on Sunday for a three-day trip, his first visit to Seoul in this capacity.Seoul and Tokyo are preparing to celebrate Aug. 15, w

The chairman of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee has introduced a resolution calling for approval of the civil nuclear energy cooperation agreement with South Korea in a move seen as assuring its passage through Congress.Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA) initiated the joint resolution (H. J. RES. 63) together with Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY) on Friday, three days after Sen. Benjamin Cardin (D-MD) introduced a similar resolution in the Senate backing the civil nuclear cooperation deal with Seoul."Resolved

A U.S. lawmaker has proposed a House of Representatives resolution commemorating the upcoming 70th anniversary of Korea's independence from Japan's colonial rule and hoping for the strong alliance between the two countries to continue.Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) put forth the resolution (H. RES. 407) on Friday, saying the U.S. and South Korea are "historic allies." "The thousands of patriots, including innocent civilians, who died, were imprisoned or otherwise dedicated their lives to achieving liber

The Moroccan Embassy commemorated the 16th anniversary of the enthronement of its monarch ― King Mohammed VI ― with a reception at Lotte Hotel on Thursday. “With pride, Moroccan citizens today commemorate an important anniversary and longstanding tradition of allegiance between our king and people,” said Moroccan Ambassador Mohammed Chraibi in a speech. “Morocco’s constitutional, parliamentary and democratic monarch has always been the flagpole of our nation-building and progress for more than 1

The U.S. shipment of live anthrax spores to South Korea was an "extremely regrettable" mistake that happened as the allies sought to enhance capabilities to cope with "very real and significant" biological weapons threats, a Pentagon official said Friday.   "While this was an extremely regrettable incident, it is important to keep in mind that our alliance biological defense programs are designed to enhance U.S. and ROK readiness and defensive capabilities in the face of very real and significan