The militaries of South and North Korea have been invited to take part in a Chinese military parade in September marking the end of World War II, a South Korean diplomatic source said Wednesday.  China is scheduled to hold the military parade on Sept. 3 with foreign militaries invited to join for the first time. Russia is widely expected to send troops, but Beijing has sidestepped questions on which foreign countries' militaries were invited.   "To my knowledge, China has sent invitations to the

South Korea's parliamentary speaker is set to meet with his counterparts from Australia and two other countries on Wednesday ahead of a formal conference meant to discuss ways to boost cooperation in tackling global challenges.  The meeting would be the first of its kind since 2013, when South Korea, Mexico, Indonesia, Turkey, and Australia launched a cross-regional group, known as "MIKTA," from the initials of their English names.  But Turkey did not send its delegation to the meeting as Turkey

A South Korean candidate was elected for the first time to head the United Nations maritime body, diplomatic sources said Wednesday, with his four-year term set to kick off in 2016.  Lim Ki-tack, president of Busan Port Authority, which operates the port facilities in South Korea's second largest city, was elected to head the International Maritime Organization after five rounds of elections.   The International Maritime Organization is the leading global authority on safety, security and enviro

South Korea, Japan, and China are expected to resume a trilateral meeting of their leaders in early October, a diplomatic source here said Tuesday.  "Chances are high that the three nations hold summit talks within this year," the source said, requesting anonymity. "Given busy diplomatic schedules in the second half of this year, the meeting is likely to take place in early October or no later than mid-October."  It would be "natural" for President Park Geun-hye to visit Washington in late Octob

South Korea will provide $9 million in aid to five major conflict zones around the world, the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.  The aid will be sent to Iraq ($5 million), Ukraine ($1 million), South Sudan ($2 million), Sudan ($500,000) and the Gaza Strip ($500,000) in an effort to help millions of refugees who have been displaced due to conflicts in those areas, the ministry said in a press release.  "The aid is supplementary to the humanitarian aid our government has provided to some of the areas

An elderly South Korean victim of Japan's wartime sexual slavery on Monday urged Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to own up to the atrocity while at the same time calling on U.S. President Barack Obama to "guide a friend onto the right path."  Kim Bok-dong, 89, issued the appeal after arriving in Washington to attend a protest rally to be held in front of Japan's embassy on Wednesday to denounce Tokyo's attempt to whitewash the atrocity and to call for a clear apology and compensation.  The ra

South Korea will serve as chair of an inter-governmental policymaking body on preventing money laundering starting next month, the country's financial regulator said Monday.  South Korea was appointed as the chair country of the Financial Action Task Force at its plenary meeting in February last year to become the third Asian country to hold the chairmanship, following Japan and Hong Kong, according to the Financial Services Commission.  Former FSC Chairman Shin Je-yoon will hold the FATF post i

South Korea will contribute $750 million of paid-in capital over the next five years in the Chinese-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank to become the fifth-largest shareholder, the South Korean Finance Ministry said Monday.   A total of 57 countries, including South Korea, have joined the AIIB, which is seen as a potential counterbalance to U.S.-led multilateral lenders such as the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank.  Overall, the AIIB, set to be operational by the end of this year,

South Korean Finance Minister Choi Kyung-hwan said Monday that his government will seek active cooperation with a China-led development bank to help develop infrastructure in North Korea, although the reclusive North is not a member of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.  Choi made the remarks at a meeting with South Korean correspondents in Beijing as he signed articles of agreement that decide the shareholdings of each member of the AIIB.   South Korea became the fifth-largest shareholde

A top South Korean diplomat will make a rare trip to Iran this week, the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday, with a deal in sight in the U.S.-led talks over Tehran's nuclear program.The two-day trip starting Friday by Vice Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yong is apparently aimed at laying the groundwork for closer bilateral economic cooperation and partnerships in other fields.Cho is scheduled to hold talks with his Iranian counterpart, Morteza Sarmadi, on Saturday."The two sides plan to consult on ways for

The United Nations will open its field office in Seoul this week to deal with the human rights situation in North Korea, foreign ministry officials said Sunday.  The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights is scheduled to open the envisioned rights office in downtown Seoul on Tuesday, they said, adding that it will work on monitoring and documenting human rights in North Korea.  The role is based on a report released in February by the Commission of Inquiry, a U.N. panel tasked wit

Growth in foreigners' cancellations of trips to South Korea slowed sharply last week, data showed Sunday, amid signs the Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak is subsiding thanks to stepped-up efforts to contain the potentially deadly virus.  South Korea reported three more MERS cases Sunday, bringing the total number of people diagnosed with the disease here to 169. The death toll stood at 25, as the number of people in isolation for suspected infections came to 4,035, down from 5,197 the p

A former Korean wartime sex slave said Friday she will soon file a suit against the Japanese government with a U.S. court, seeking an apology and financial compensation for the atrocities done by the Japanese military during World War II. Yoo Hee-nam, 87, will not only sue the Japanese government and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe but also seek damages from Japanese firms and a Japanese daily, said Ahn Shin-kwon, who heads House of Sharing in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, which houses a group of victim

South Korea and a group of six Central American countries, including Guatemala and Panama, have declared the official launch of their negotiations for a free trade agreement, the Seoul government said Friday.The declaration came at the end of a meeting between South Korean Trade Minister Yoon Sang-jick and his counterparts from the six nations held in Houston, the United States, on Thursday (U.S. time), according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy."The Ministers shared the view that t

The United States and China will use next week's high-level strategic talks to discuss ways to get North Korea out of the "fantasy" that it can revive its broken economy without having to give up its nuclear program, a senior U.S. diplomat said Thursday.Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russel made the remark during a Foreign Press Center briefing previewing the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue to be held in Washington from Monday through Wednesday, saying Washington and Beijing shar