South Korea on Tuesday expressed its strong opposition against Japan's move to put its wartime facilities on the UNESCO world heritage list, saying that the move runs counter to the spirit of the list.Since 2012, Japan has been seeking to put more than 20 industrial facilities such as coal mines, a legacy of Tokyo's forced labor during World War II, on the UNESCO world heritage list. Japan claims that those facilities are a symbol of industrialization in an apparent bid to conceal its wartime ag

The new South Korean ambassador to China, Kim Jang-soo, said Tuesday he will spare no efforts to forge close cooperation with China. Kim takes up the post at a time when tension between Seoul and Beijing is brewing over a possible deployment of an advanced U.S. missile defense system in South Korea.Kim, a 67-year-old former defense minister who headed the National Security Council at the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae until May last year, made the comments upon his arrival at the Beijing a

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is walking a tightrope as he continues to play down the country’s historical abuses ahead of his address at U.S. Congress and the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, stymying Seoul’s efforts to defrost bilateral ties. He has been under growing international pressure to tone down his revisionist views and present a more repentant attitude to Japan’s wartime history. But skepticism persists over any sweeping turnaround in his approach in light of his elu

It could be a blessing rather than a dilemma for South Korea being in the middle of the U.S. and China's growing rivalry in the Asia Pacific region, the foreign ministry said Monday.The remarks by Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se came amid growing jitters over the country's position as the two super powers step up efforts for a greater presence in the Asian region.Seoul has recently decided to join the formation of the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, defying the U.S.'implicit reserv

Veteran South Korean football defender Cha Du-ri will bid adieu to international play on Tuesday, when his team hosts New Zealand in the nation's capital.The friendly match between the 56th-ranked South Korea and the 134th-ranked New Zealand will kick off at 8 p.m. at Seoul World Cup Stadium.Cha, 34, will be making his 76th and final international appearance for South Korea. He'd earlier announced his retirement at the conclusion of the AFC Asian Cup in January in Australia but head coach Uli St

Japan believed in 1984 that it was "inevitable" for its emperor to express regret over Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula when a South Korean president made a state visit to Tokyo, diplomatic documents showed Monday.When South Korea prepared for a state visit by then President Chun Doo-hwan to Japan, topping the agenda was whether then Japanese Emperor Hirohito would make comments or apologize over Japan's wartime wrongdoing, according to the documents released by Seoul's fore

South Korea's top economic policymaker on Sunday called for more cooperation with Latin America in order to help both sides take full advantage of the mutually complementary economic structures.  In a news conference wrapping up the annual Inter-American Development Bank's board of governors meeting in Busan, 453 kilometers southeast of Seoul, Choi Kyung-hwan said that connecting South Korea's prowess in information technology and manufacturing with Latin America's abundant mineral and energy re

North Korea blasted South Korean President Park Geun-hye Sunday over her recent speech made at a ceremony to mark Pyongyang's torpedoing of a South Korean corvette in 2010 that killed 46 sailors.  Speaking on the fifth anniversary of the tragedy Wednesday, Park said she "hopes North Korea abandons its reckless provocations and belief that nuclear weapons can protect the country." She, however, did not directly accuse the North of downing the South Korean ship Cheonan in the speech.  She was payi

South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Sunday attended the funeral ceremony of Lee Kuan Yew, founder of Singapore.  It marked the first time for Park to attend a funeral of an overseas political leader since taking office in 2013.  Park arrived at the service held at the University Cultural Center around 12:50 p.m. and stayed there for more than four hours, according to her office, Cheong Wa Dae.   Dressed in a black pantsuit, Park was joined by former and current heads of state in mourning Lee

South Korea on Friday welcomed a U.N. decision to adopt a resolution that calls for improvement in the human rights situations in North Korea.Earlier, the U.N. Human Rights Council adopted the resolution, criticizing the communist country for violating the human rights of its citizens. It was proposed by the European Union and Japan during a session in Geneva, with such issues as political prisoners and discrimination based on family background also touched upon. "We welcome the adoption of the

South Korea’s decision on Thursday to join a China-led infrastructure investment bank is expected to enhance its ties with China and underdeveloped countries in Asia, potentially including North Korea, which the bank is expected to support, analysts said Friday.They also noted the decision may not hurt Seoul’s long-standing alliance with Washington, given that there has been progress in the efforts to ease the U.S.’ concerns over transparency and the governance structure of the bank. The U.S. ha