The South Korean government will make a final decision later this month on joining the China-led regional bank to fund development projects in Asia, a government official said Sunday, amid growing tensions between the United States and China over the body's governance.  "We will decide whether to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank as a founding member within this month and inform China of the result," said the official who asked not to be named, citing the sensitivity of the issue. "I

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has never used the word "apology" on the issue of the country's sexual enslavement of women during World War II and is unlikely to do so in a statement marking the 70th anniversary of the war's end, a Japanese activist said Thursday.Mina Watanabe, secretary general of the Tokyo-based Women's Active Museum on War and Peace, made the remark during a presentation about how Japan has handled the sexual slavery issue at a seminar held at Johns Hopkins University's S

South Korea, China and Japan should "cherish" the opportunity to hold the first three-way talks among foreign ministers in three years, a senior Chinese diplomat has said, as the three major East Asian economies move to overcome mutual diplomatic tensions. Senior diplomats from South Korea, China and Japan held their meeting in Seoul on Wednesday, during which they discussed the agenda of their foreign ministers' meeting later this month. The upcoming foreign ministers' talks come after a nearly

South Korea, China and Japan vowed Wednesday to try to restore stagnant trilateral cooperation as they prepare for a meeting of their foreign ministers slated for late March.South Korean Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Lee Kyung-soo met with his Chinese and Japanese counterparts, Liu Zhenmin and Shinsuke Sugiyama, respectively, to discuss how to revive trilateral cooperation amid Tokyo-sparked historical tension in the region.The three-way, high-level diplomats' meeting, the first

China's foreign minister on Sunday called on all relevant countries to exercise calm and restraint on the Korean Peninsula, warning of "another delicate period" in the region.  "The situation on the Korean Peninsula is entering another delicate period," Foreign Minister Wang Yi told a press conference on the sidelines of an annual meeting of China's rubber-stamp parliament.Wang did not specify reasons for such an atmosphere in the region, but the remarks follow threats from North Korea on protes

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said Thursday that Beijing will spare no effort to formally sign a bilateral free trade agreement with South Korea "as soon as possible." After effectively concluding free trade negotiations last November, South Korea and China completed the "initialing" of the deal last month, marking one step closer to the official signing.Both sides voice their hope to sign the deal within the first half of this year. Speaking at the opening of the annual session of the National Peo

The United States said Wednesday it strongly condemns the attack on its ambassador to South Korea after Amb. Mark Lippert was taken to a hospital with wounds to his face and wrist.""We can confirm that U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Mark Lippert was assaulted Thursday morning in Seoul while giving a speech. We strongly condemn this act of violence," State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf said in a statement."The Ambassador is being treated at a local hospital. His injuries are

U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday called a former aide and now U.S. ambassador in South Korea to wish him well following a bloody attack that Washington strongly condemned.  The president called Mark Lippert "to tell him that he and his wife Robyn are in his thoughts and prayers, and to wish him the very best for a speedy recovery," said Bernadette Meehan, National Security Council spokeswoman.  The State Department said Lippert was "assaulted Thursday morning in Seoul while giving a spee

The U.S. Justice Department said Wednesday it is forfeiting about $1.1 million in U.S. assets traceable to proceeds from corruption accumulated by former South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan and returning it to Seoul.The assets, seized on two occasions last year, consist of $726,000 in proceeds from the sale of a house that Chun's son purchased in California, and a $500,000 investment that a daughter-in-law of Chun made in a Pennsylvania limited partnership.The department said it has also helped

South Korea and China could formally sign a bilateral free trade agreement within the first half of this year, Chinese Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng has said.Gao made the remarks on Tuesday, state-run China Securities Journal said. South Korea and China completed the "initialing" of the deal last month, marking a step closer to the official signing, after declaring "substantial conclusion" of their free trade talks last November. South Korea and China have been translating the English-language t

South Korean President Park Geun-hye was to meet with Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal on Wednesday on the second and last day of her visit to the oil-rich kingdom, Park's office said.The meeting is set to take place at 3 p.m., Park's office said, without giving any further details.Alwaleed, chairman of Kingdom Holding Co. is known as the Saudi Warren Buffett and is No. 34 on Forbes magazine's list of the world's richest men for 2015 with net worth $23 billion.The meeting came a day a

South Korea and Saudi Arabia have signed an agreement on maritime transport that will, in part, help ensure a safe and steady supply of oil to South Korea from the Middle East country, the Seoul government said Wednesday.The bilateral agreement was signed in Riyadh on Tuesday, the same day South Korean President Park Geun-hye arrived in the country for a two-day visit.Under the agreement, the countries' ships and their crew members will be given national treatment when making port calls in each

South Korean President Park Geun-hye left for Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for talks with newly enthroned King Salman to discuss how to boost security and economic cooperation.The meeting is the first time since Salman inherited the throne to the oil-rich kingdom following the death of his brother and king, Abdullah, in January. Park met with then Saudi Crown Prince Salman on the sidelines of a summit of the Group of 20 advanced and emerging economies in Brisbane, Australia, in November.Park and Salm

The South Korean Army held a send-off ceremony Tuesday for 128 elite troops set to leave for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to replace a military contingent tasked with training the Middle East country's special forces, officers said.The South Korean unit "Akh," meaning brother in Arabic, has been based in the eastern region of Al Ain in the UAE since 2011, after a South Korean consortium won a US$20 billion deal in late 2009 to build nuclear reactors in the oil-rich country. The unit, whose mem