South Korea and China have agreed to launch joint efforts before the year's end to curb illegal fishing in their shared waters, the South Korean government said Monday.   "The countries agreed to begin their joint inspection of fishing activities using their surveillance ships in the joint fishing zone at the earliest date possible before the end of the year," the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said in a press release.   The agreement came at the end of four-day talks last week that sought to

South Korea and the United States are in talks to arrange a summit between their leaders on the sidelines of a series of regional conferences next week, government sources said Monday.   The meeting, if realized, would likely be held during the East Asia Summit in Naypyidaw, Myanmar between Nov. 12 and 13 or during a summit of the Group of 20 advanced and emerging economies in Brisbane, Australia between Nov. 15 and 16, the sources said on condition of anonymity.   South Korean President Park Ge

South Korean President Park Geun-hye will visit China, Myanmar and Australia next week to attend a series of regional summits, her senior foreign affairs secretary said Sunday.On the first leg of her trip, Park will visit Beijing for four days starting next Sunday to attend a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, Ju Chul-ki said in a press briefing.From Beijing, she will fly to Naypyidaw, Myanmar to attend the East Asia Summit and a summit between member nations of the As

Officials from South Korea and Germany will hold a first round of bilateral talks to discuss current geopolitical issues on the Korean Peninsula and share the European country’s experience of achieving peaceful unification, the Seoul government said Friday.Germany’s top diplomat, Frank-Walter Steinmeiser, is currently in Seoul to participate in the talks and to meet President Park Geun-hye in the afternoon. Steinmeiser met South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se in the morning and is set to v

President Park Geun-hye called Thursday for dialogue and cooperation in Northeast Asia amid fresh tensions on the Korean Peninsula over high-level talks.The Koreas had agreed to hold high-level talks between late October and early November during a recent surprise visit to South Korea by a high-powered North Korean delegation. South Korea later proposed to hold the talks on Oct. 30 as North Korea had asked the South to set a date.On Wednesday, North Korea rejected South Korea's offer in protest

South Korea is seeking to revise its nuclear cooperation accord with the U.S. in a “creative” manner that could guarantee Seoul’s autonomy in its civilian use of nuclear energy to some extent, a ranking official said Wednesday.South Korea and the U.S. are in the final stage in revising the accord over Seoul’s civilian nuke energy use, also known as the“123 agreement. The two sides hailed the “significant progress” in negotiations for the renewal of the pact, according to a statement unveiled fol

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday reiterated Beijing's commitment to denuclearizing North Korea, days after the top U.S. military commander in South Korea said Pyongyang may be able to miniaturize a nuclear weapon to load it atop a missile. "We are firmly committed to denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula and maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula," Wang said in his speech at the Chinese foreign ministry, which details the agenda of an upcoming APEC summit in Beijing. 

Britain's Prince Edward, Queen Elizabeth II's youngest son, visited South Korea Wednesday to attend a global gathering of youth achievement award holders, local organizers said.Edward arrived at Incheon International Airport just west of Seoul earlier in the day and was welcomed by officials from the British Embassy in South Korea.There was no formal welcoming ceremony at the airport because he made the visit for private activities, not as a state guest, said the Korea Youth Work Agency, the Kor