Pakistani Charge d’Affairs to South Korea Shahbaz M. Malik and Friends of Kashmir Association, a Korean support group that counts a former South Korean ambassador and a retired general as members, marked Kashmir Solidarity Day with a seminar in Seoul on Wednesday. Pakistan’s Kashmir Solidarity Day has been observed annually since 1990 in Kashmir and around the world as a day of protest against Indian control over part of Kashmir.In South Korea, it is attended by some of the approximately 8,000 P

Iranian Ambassador to South Korea Ahmad Masoumifar promoted his country’s profile here when he launched a photo exhibition at the Korea Foundation Cultural Center gallery in Seoul on Tuesday. He also celebrated his country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.“Iran has one of the richest art and cultural heritages in the world, and possesses many paintings and architecture and metal work,” said Masoumifar at the opening of the three-day exhibition before a throng of diplomatic VIPs, Iranian students and cu

Norway has emphasized its commitment to working with South Korea on Arctic issues, including developing the region as a new transportation corridor connecting East Asia and Western Europe.With more than a thousand participants from 31 countries, this year’s Arctic Frontiers Conference held in the northern Norwegian city of Tromso from Jan. 18-23 became a stage on which Norway underscored its partnership with South Korea. The two countries have pledged to undertake regular official consultations

A new defense cost sharing pact signed between South Korea and the United States last month was submitted to the parliament here on Friday for approval, the Foreign Ministry said.Before the submission, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Sung Kim signed the renewal of the Special Measure Agreement, aimed at jointly footing the cost of stationing the 28,500 United States Forces Korea troops, last Sunday.The SMA, signed after months of tough negotiations, was the ninth

U.S. President Barack Obama said Thursday his administration will make every effort to win the release of Kenneth Bae, a Korean-American man imprisoned in North Korea.Speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, Obama noted Bae, a Christian missionary, has been held for 15 months.“His family wants him home, and the United States will continue to do everything in our power to secure his release, because Kenneth Bae deserves to be free,” Obama said.It is the first time that the preside

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus was confirmed as ambassador to China, elevating the chamber’s top leader on taxes, trade and health care to one of the toughest U.S. diplomatic posts. The Senate vote was 96-0, with Baucus voting “present.” Baucus will head to China at a time of tension in the relationship between the world’s two biggest economies. His successor in the Senate will be chosen as early as this week. The Montana Democrat said at his confirmation hearing that he’d place a

WASHINGTON (Yonhap) ― The Obama administration’s top Asia hand on Tuesday asked for South Korea, Japan and China to make joint efforts to resolve high tensions among them over territorial claims and the interpretation of shared history.“There is an unfortunate spike in tensions in the region. It’s a matter of concern to all of us,” Daniel Russel, the assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, said at a press conference hosted by the Foreign Press Center in Washington, D.C.S

South Korea censured Japan Wednesday for its leader's disparaging remarks about a Korean independence fighter, urging the former colonialist nation to repent for its militaristic past and war aggression.Seoul's criticism came a day after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe disparaged the late Ahn Jung-geun, a colonial-era national hero who fought for Korea's independence, labeling him as a convicted murderer in a response to a parliamentary query.Ahn is hailed as a central figure in Korea's indep

A senior U.S. congressman sent a letter Tuesday to Secretary of State John Kerry calling on him to pay heed to the issue of the forced sexual servitude of Korean and other Asian women by Japanese soldiers during World War II.Rep. Mike Honda, known for his tireless efforts to address the issue of Japan's wartime atrocities, cited a landmark legislative document attached to a spending bill for fiscal year 2014.President Barack Obama signed it into law in mid-January.The document, albeit nonbinding

The Obama administration's top Asia hand on Tuesday asked for South Korea, Japan and China to make joint efforts to resolve soared tensions among them over territorial claims and the interpretation of shared history."There is an unfortunate spike in tensions in the region. It's a matter of concern to all of us," Daniel Russel, the assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, said at a press conference hosted by the Foreign Press Center in Washington, D.C.South Korea accuses J

Seoul officials, U.S. media say approval likely

South Korea and the United State are in close communication over U.S. President Barack Obama's potential trip to Seoul during his planned visit to Asia in April, the foreign ministry here said Tuesday."(Seoul) is closely communicating with the U.S. side," foreign ministry spokesman Cho Tai-young said in a briefing in response to a question over the April visit.Government sources have earlier said Obama may travel to Seoul and Beijing in April to hold bilateral summits during his planned visit to

Use of the name East Sea in textbooks won approval Monday from a Virginia legislative committee, leaving just two steps before a longtime dream of the local Korean-American community comes true.The House of Delegates education panel passed it in a 18-3 vote. The House floor is expected to vote Thursday on the bill, which requires new school textbooks to name the body of water between Korea and Japan the East Sea as well as the Sea of Japan.Chances are high that it will pass the floor, given the