South Korea and Vietnam agreed Friday to reinforce bilateral cooperation on international peacekeeping operations, capitalizing on their deepening security ties, the Defense Ministry said Friday.The two sides signed a related memorandum of understanding at a meeting between Vice Defense Minister Baek Seung-joo and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Chi Vinh.It calls for the strengthening of "substantial cooperation' in the education, workshop, and dispatch of experts in connection with PKO, accor

The United States is unlikely to allow South Korea to use the "pyroprocessing" technology to recycle spent nuclear fuel even after a joint study is completed in2021 because the technology will make no economic sense at all for decades, a U.S. expert said Thursday.Pyroprocessing refers to a new type of technology for reprocessing spent nuclear fuel. It poses fewer proliferation risks than the conventional reprocessing technology because it does not involve producing pure plutonium that can be use

The absence of a viable security system among Northeast Asian countries necessitates the military alliances the United States maintains in the region, a former U.S. official said Thursday."From the organization perspective, we see that (security) architecture in Northeast Asia has historically been woefully underdeveloped ... we also had limited security cooperation in multilateral context," David Helvey, a former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia, said during the three-da

Collective global action is needed to fight the latest trans-national types of conflicts, including those caused by North Korea's proliferation of nuclear weapons, a U.N. official said Thursday."When it comes to trans-national threats, it would be illusory to believe that weakened states ... even strong states would be able to deal with transnational threats alone," Edmond Mulet, assistant secretary general for peacekeeping operations, said during the Seoul Defense Dialogue in central Seoul.Seou

President Park Geun-hye called Thursday for cooperation among the United States, China and Russia in building a logistics network across Eurasian countries, an ambitious project that could further boost trade in the region.South Korea is pushing for the "Eurasia Initiative" to bind Eurasian nations closely together by linking roads and railways that run from South Korea to Europe via North Korea, Russia and China.China is also seeking to build an overland and a maritime logistics network linked

An international festival promoting healthy eating and an environment-friendly lifestyle is ready for its kick-off slated for next month, its organizer said Thursday.Under the theme "Good Food, Good Life," the Namyangju Slow Life International Festival will be held for 10 days starting Oct. 8 in the city located about 30 kilometers east of Seoul, bring together participants from around 40 countries.The organizer said the slow lifestyle aims at improving the quality of life by adopting traditiona

President Park Geun-hye's attendance at last week's Chinese military parade will turn out to be useful in blunting Beijing's opposition to the possible deployment of a U.S. THAAD missile defense battery to South Korea, a former South Korean foreign minister said Wednesday.Park's presence at the muscle-flexing parade, which was shunned by Western leaders, led to some U.S. experts and observers raising questions about whether Seoul is tilting too much toward Beijing at a time of growing rivalry be

The Chinese economy is becoming "more mature," and will usher in an era of sustainable growth, the inaugural chief of a China-led regional investment bank said Wednesday, dismissing concerns that the world's No. 2 economy is losing its growth momentum."The Chinese economy, I think, is moving towards to the new norm," Jin Liqun, president-designate of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, said in a press conference in Seoul."When we talk about slowing down, I hope we would have no misundersta

South Korea and Australia will seek to expand security ties to emerging issues, such as epidemics and natural disasters, when their foreign and defense ministers meet in Sydney this week, a government official said Wednesday.Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, Defense Minister Han Min-koo, and their Australian counterparts, Julie Bishop and Kevin Andrews, are scheduled to meet for their second 2+2 talks on Friday.Following their talks, the ministers plan to announce a "blueprint" for cooperation in s

The recent military tensions between South and North Korea, which were settled through a last-minute deal, stressed the importance of strengthening the military alliance between Seoul and Washington, the commander of the Eighth U.S. Army said Wednesday.Following the detonation of wooden-box land mines on the South Korean side of the demilitarized zone on Aug. 4, which was blamed on North Korea, the two Koreas exchanged live fire on Aug. 20 and put their militaries on a war footing. Tensions had

Business leaders from South Korea and Japan vowed Wednesday to join forces on a free trade agreement in Northeast Asia and other key economic issues in the region.Park Yong-maan, chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, one of South Korea's large business lobbies, held a meeting with Akio Mimura, president of the Japan Chamber of Commerce, in Fukuoka. There they discussed a variety of issues such as a proposed trilateral free trade deal among South Korea, Japan and China, and the

The United States praised South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Tuesday for her efforts to improve relations with North Korea after the two Koreas agreed to hold reunions of separated families next month."We appreciate President Park's tireless efforts to improve inter-Korean relations, including through pursuit of family reunions," State Department spokesperson Katina Adams said in response to a Yonhap News Agency request for comment on the inter-Korean agreement.Earlier Tuesday, Red Cross of

U.S. Congressman Ed Royce, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, received a friendship award Tuesday in recognition of his contribution to relations between South Korea and the United States.Royce, known as one of the strongest advocates for the alliance between the two countries, received the award from the Korean-American Association, a nonprofit organization that has worked to promote the friendship and alliance.Former South Koren Foreign Minister Han Sung-joo, who heads the associ

President Park Geun-hye pledged Tuesday to inject $100 million over the next five years to help 13 poor countries combat infectious diseases.Park said South Korea's financial support will begin next year. South Korea "will make utmost efforts to ensure that many people in those countries can have a hope toward a better future by living a secure life free from the threat of infectious diseases," said Park in a welcoming dinner for delegates of the Global Health Security Agenda.The global health s