The Korea Herald

Georgia upgrades ties with Korea, East Asia

Apr 14, 2013

Georgian-Korean ties are at a point where, to lift it up to the next level, it is necessary to have direct contact on the ground in Tbilisi
Asia expert named deputy foreign minister

Apr 12, 2013

Lee Kyung-soo, minister at the Korean Embassy in Japan, was named the new deputy foreign minister Friday. Lee succeeded Kim Kyou-hyun, who was recently promoted to vice minister in charge of political affairs. Since entering the agency in 1981, Lee has served key posts including ambassador to Cambodia, director-general of South Asia-Pacific affairs, embassy councilor in Beijing and director of the Southeast Asian division. The Foreign Ministry also selected Shin Dong-ik, deputy representative at
Korea backs ASEAN nations’ democracy

Apr 11, 2013

Korea-ASEAN Center chief says partnership evolving into political, institutional cooperation
FM confirms N. Korea can launch mid-range missile 'at any time'

Apr 10, 2013

Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se confirmed Wednesday that North Korea has moved a mid-range Musudan ballistic missile to its east coast and Pyongyang is prepared to launch the missile "at any time." "According to intelligence obtained by our side and the U.S., the possibility of a missile launch by North Korea is very high," Yun told a parliamentary hearing, adding that North Korea can launch the missile "at any time from now." Yun said, "The Musudan missile has a range of 3,500 kilometers and
Saudi Arabia upgrades visa services

Apr 7, 2013

The Saudi Arabian Embassy announced it has upgraded its visa services for travelers and business persons going to the largest Arab country in western Asia.The Saudi Arabian Embassy in Korea will move its visa services to a single contractor, the VFS Tasheel International Visa Service Centre, as of April 15 to improve services for travelers and business people going to the Arab Kingdom. The embassy currently uses 10 designated travel agencies to process its visa applications.VFS Tasheel will prov
Queen’s Birthday graces Seoul through charity gala

Apr 7, 2013

Tickets for this year’s Queen’s Birthday Ball, a glittery and regal gala organized annually to raise money for charity, are now on sale, the British Embassy here and the British Association of Seoul announced on Tuesday.The Queen’s Birthday Ball is one of the year’s biggest events for the foreign diplomatic and expatriate communities. The night will include a five-course dinner, delicious wines, a raffle of fabulous prizes and a live auction and dancing to the music of The Light Years, the band
Local embassy staffer receives royal Swedish order

Apr 7, 2013

A Korean local staffer at the Swedish Embassy here was awarded the prestigious Royal Order of the Polar Star in a ceremony at the residence of Swedish Ambassador to Korea Lars Danielsson on Monday.Bak Hyun-jung, director of press, culture and information at the Swedish Embassy, received the order “for her exceptional contributions to Sweden and Swedish interests, notably in promoting cultural exchanges” between Korea and Sweden, Danielsson said during the award ceremony on Monday. “The awarding
Cine France kicks off season with ‘Populaire’

Apr 7, 2013

With pomp and celebrity, Cine France kicked off its new season of French film at its new venue, Cine Nine, in the Sadang-dong neighborhood of Seoul on Tuesday.“We were seeking a new dynamic in this new venue with new people and a new program,” Daniel Kapelian, audiovisual attache at the French Embassy, said during the opening reception. French Ambassador to Korea Jerome Pasquier, actor Ahn Sung-ki and a coterie of professionals from Korea’s creative arts sipped wine, nibbled from a well-stocked
Angola celebrates 11 years of peace

Apr 7, 2013

Since the end of Angola’s 27-year-long civil war on April 4, 2002, the country’s economy has prospered thanks to oil. Africa watchers feared parliamentary elections last year in August could reignite political violence and instability. Instead, the poll went off with little more than a hiccup. Election observers from Southern African Development Community, the African Union, and the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries issued statements labeling the elections free and fair. While Angola is
U.S. cautious about Korean spent fuel use

Apr 2, 2013

WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) ― The U.S. government is taking a longer-term approach in dealing with one of the most urgent and thorniest bilateral issues with South Korea ― Seoul’s push for enriching uranium and reprocessing spent fuel, according to an official here on Monday.“The United States has been working with the Republic of Korea (South Korea) on the management of spent fuel and radioactive waste for over 30 years. The main current effort is a 10-year Joint Fuel Cycle Study, which is conside
Green growth institute mulls moving to Songdo

Apr 1, 2013

The Global Green Growth Institute is considering moving to the international business district of Songdo, Incheon, to take advantage of a synergy effect with the Green Climate Fund and various incentives from the city government, officials told The Korea Herald. The Incheon city government has recently offered the Seoul-based GGGI benefits including a 10-year free lease of office space and operating cost subsidies. “We’re looking into the option after receiving an offer of free office space for
S. Korea nervous about Carter's arms sales moratorium in 1977: declassified dossier

Mar 31, 2013

(Yonhap) -- South Korea faced a nerve-wracking several months in 1977 after the administration of then-U.S. president Jimmy Carter held up arms sales to foreign countries worth about US$6 billion, Seoul's declassified diplomatic documents showed Sunday. The documents revealed that South Korean officials were worried about the months-long arms sales moratorium by Carter, who had at that time contemplated withdrawing ground combat troops from South Korea. Carter's sudden decision to withdraw U
Australian envoy finishes four-year posting

Mar 31, 2013

Australian Ambassador to Korea Sam Gerovich returned to Canberra at the end of last week, completing a four-year posting here which started on March 24, 2009. Gerovich will be replaced by Bill Paterson who is expected to arrive in Korea in May, the embassy said. Deputy Head of Mission Brendan Berne will head up the diplomatic mission as charge d’affairs until incoming Ambassador Paterson assumes his posting here, the embassy said. Gerovich’s four years as his country’s top diplomatic representa
[Photo News] Climate security

Mar 31, 2013
Post-revolution Tunisia lauds Korea ties

Mar 31, 2013

Tunisia celebrated its 57th year of independence from colonial rule Tuesday, as well as the second anniversary of popular demonstrations that swept the North African nation and toppled the 34-year-long regime of president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, in a reception at Lotte Hotel in Seoul on Monday.Tunisia’s top diplomat here lauded the two events as milestones for his nation struggling to overcome civil unrest two years after Tunisian youth ousted Ben Ali from power, sending the octogenarian into e