A human rights group based in Seoul claimed at the British Embassy in South Korea on Friday that North Korea is conducting chemical and biological weapons experiments on disabled children.The bombshell allegation was delivered by Joanna Hosaniak, deputy director general of the Citizens Alliance for North Korean Human Rights, during a press briefing at the British Embassy announcing a report titled “The status of women’s rights in the context of socio-economic changes in the DPRK.” Hosaniak autho

The foreign ministers of South Korea, the U.S. and Japan plan to hold talks next week to discuss North Korea’s nuclear programs and cooperation on regional issues, Seoul officials said Friday.South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida will meet on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum on Monday in Brunei.The three-way consultation is the first since each took office this year. Their predecessors met together twic

South Korean President Park Geun-hye left for Beijing on Thursday for her first summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping that will be watched closely as to how far China would go in committing itself to helping end North Korea's nuclear program.It is Park's second overseas trip since taking office in late February. In May, she visited the United States and held summit talks with President Barack Obama. The four-day trip to China also includes a stop in the ancient western city of Xian later this

South Korean President Park Geun-hye will meet one-on-one with two other top Chinese leaders after summit talks with President Xi Jinping during a trip to Beijing this week, a senior presidential official said Tuesday.Park's four-day state visit to China will begin Thursday when she is scheduled to meet with Xi to discuss how to handle North Korea's nuclear program and enhance economic and other cooperation, the official said.On Friday, Park plans to meet with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and then

Kenyan and Korean negotiators are in Seoul putting the finishing touches on new tax and investment deals that will spur investment in the East African nation and strengthen trade ties.Kenyan Ambassador to Korea Ngovi Kitau confirmed that a Kenyan team of negotiators have been in Seoul since Tuesday, meeting with their Korean counterparts to complete the tax and investment deals.Trade with Kenya, albeit still tiny in comparison to Korea’s other trade partners, has seen a steady increase over the

The final two events to cap off the Pakistani Embassy’s series of cultural festivities celebrating the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and the South Asian nation will take place on Tuesday and on July 2. The embassy’s penultimate cultural event, a photo exhibition depicting the ancient South Asian civilization of Ghandhara, takes place this Tuesday at the Korea Foundation Cultural Center Gallery in Seoul.As its finale, the embassy is planning a festival of fresh mangoes an

Korea and Southeast Asian countries have teamed up in promoting Vietnam and Laos as vacation spots for Korean travelers in a new training program for leisure and hospitality professionals in those two increasingly popular tourist destinations.The program will also boost people-to-people exchanges and understanding, organizers said.The ASEAN-Korea Center is hosting two sets of two-day training programs for travel agents and tourism specialists on topics such as Korean tourism, language and cultur

Dano Park in the resort town of Gangneung, Gangwon Province, was the scene of the traditional Pakistani pastime of kite flying on Friday.Locals and international exchange students learned the basics of kite flying during a cultural festival showcasing Pakistani food, as well as introducing traditional pastimes like kite flying, at Korea’s east coast resort town on Friday.The embassy organized the event in coordination with the Korea Pakistan Friendship Association (KOPAK), and the Pakistan Stude

Some 330,000 Koreans visited Indonesia last year, a 25 percent increase from 2009.To cope with the increased demand, the ASEAN-Korea Center launched a Korean language training program for the Southeast Asian country’s tourism and hospitality industry in Jakarta.The two-week language course is co-organized with Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy. This summer’s course ends on June 25.The course is geared toward workers in the tourism and hospitality industry, providing basic lang