China and Japan have been in preparations for bilateral talks of their foreign ministers on the sidelines of a three-way meeting of top diplomats from South Korea, China and Japan in Seoul later this week, China's foreign ministry said Tuesday. South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and his Chinese and Japanese counterparts, Wang Yi and Fumio Kishida, are set to meet on Saturday, resuming their trilateral meeting for the first time in nearly three years. Such meeting has not been held mainly

South Korea will take measures to counter anti-North Korea leaflet scattering that illegally involves unmanned aerial vehicles, a unification ministry official said Tuesday.  The government move comes as some activists plan to resume the controversial campaign to send anti-Pyongyang leaflets to North Korea next week. They have also said drones may be employed in the campaign meant to spread dissenting messages in the reclusive country.  "As far as I know, the act of scattering anti-North leaflet

South Korea, China and Japan will hold a foreign ministers meeting this weekend for the first time in about three years, in a bid to restore stagnant trilateral cooperation, Seoul's foreign ministry said Tuesday.  The meeting scheduled for Saturday in Seoul will bring together South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and his Chinese and Japanese counterparts Wang Yi and Fumio Kishida, the ministry said.  "The meeting will pave the way for restoring three-way cooperation," Seoul's foreign minis

South Korea's ruling party chief said Tuesday that a decision on whether to deploy a U.S. anti-missile defense system in South Korea should be left to the government, not his party.  Kim Moo-sung's remarks came in response to a reporter's question about how he views China's concerns over the possible deployment of a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense battery in South Korea.  Seoul maintains that the issue has never come up for consideration, but Washington has previously hinted it would deploy

South Korea, China and Japan will hold a foreign ministers meeting this weekend for the first time in about three years, in a bid to restore stagnant trilateral cooperation, Seoul's foreign ministry said Tuesday.  The meeting scheduled for Saturday in Seoul will bring together South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and his Chinese and Japanese counterparts Wang Yi and Fumio Kishida, the ministry said.  "The meeting will pave the way for restoring three-way cooperation," Seoul's foreign minis

China appears to have appointed a vice minister of the Chinese Communist Party as Beijing's new ambassador to North Korea, a diplomatic source said Tuesday.   Li Jinjun, 59, vice minister of the International Department of the Central Committee of China's Communist Party, is likely to succeed Liu Hongcai, who returned home after serving his five-year stint in Pyongyang, according to the source.   Li steps into the new job as political relations between North Korea and China remain strained becau

South Korea, together with the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, plans to help develop fish farms in North Korea as an aid to the impoverished state, the government said Tuesday.  According to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, the Korea Maritime Institute will soon sign an agreement with the FAO to launch a joint study on the fish-raising industry in the North.  The two parties will study climate conditions in North Korea and find the best species for farming, and based on the outcome

South Korea's deputy foreign minister met with his U.S. counterpart in Seoul on Tuesday to reaffirm their strong alliance and discuss North Korea's nuclear program, the foreign ministry said.  The meeting between South Korean Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Lee Kyung-soo and U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russel came amid a mounting Washington-Beijing row over an advanced U.S. missile-defense system and a China-led Asian development bank.  Russel arrived in Seoul on Monda

President Park Geun-hye will hold a summit with her New Zealand counterpart in Seoul next week to ink a free trade agreement aimed at expanding bilateral cooperation on economy, security and culture, the presidential office said Monday.New Zealand Prime Minister John Key is set to arrive in South Korea for a three-day trip on Sunday. The two leaders will meet on Monday at Cheong Wa Dae. Key has visited Seoul three times since 2010 and met Park twice since she entered office in 2013, officials sa

The nominee to be South Korea's new spy chief said Monday that all options should be on the table when dealing with threats posed by North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.  Lee Byung-ho made the comment when asked by a lawmaker about an advanced U.S. missile-defense system that Washington hopes to deploy to South Korea.  Lee said a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery is an issue of South Korea's sovereignty.  His comments came as South Korea is struggling to walk a diplomatic tight

South Korea’s dilemma over whether to join a China-led development bank is deepening, with the announcement of support for the $50 billion mechanism from the U.K. and other major countries, despite U.S. opposition. Beijing unveiled plans for the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank in October 2013, aiming to shore up the region’s development by financing projects in such sectors as energy, transportation, telecommunication and agriculture. Its establishment was officially announced last October w