The Korea Herald

Park says N.K. cannot sustain itself without abandoning nukes

Jun 24, 2016

President Park Geun-hye on Friday vowed to make North Korea realize that it cannot sustain its regime without abandoning its nuclear program, saying the international community's will to denuclearize the communist state will never waver.During an event to mark the 66th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War, Park also criticized Pyongyang for "walking on a dangerous path of isolation and confrontation," noting that the tragedy of the Cold War continues on here."By building a strong securi
S. Korea to keep sanctions on N. Korea until they show effect: ministry

Jun 24, 2016

South Korea will use sanctions against North Korea until they succeed in discouraging Pyongyang's development of nuclear weapons, its foreign ministry said Friday.The pledge comes two days after North Korea test-fired two intermediate-range ballistic missiles in defiance of international sanctions designed to deter its development of nuclear weapons and their delivery systems."We will consistently implement sanctions against North Korea over a sufficient timeframe until they have an effect, base
S. Korea welcomes U.N. condemnation of N.K. missile launches

Jun 24, 2016

South Korea on Friday welcomed the U.N. Security Council's adoption of a press statement condemning North Korea's ballistic missile launches earlier this week.Seoul's foreign ministry said in a statement that the Security Council's response sent a warning to Pyongyang and underscored the importance of deterring the North's "wrong behavior" through the international community's faithful execution of sanctions against the country."Our government welcomes the Security Council's swift announcement o
Park renews resolve to make Pyongyang opt for denuclearization

Jun 23, 2016

President Park Geun-hye on Thursday renewed her resolve to make North Korea opt for denuclearization through sanctions and pressure and ordering her military to maintain a robust deterrence against a provocative North Korea.During her luncheon with military leaders, Park also pointed to Pyongyang's continued provocations, including the launching of two intermediate-range ballistic missiles this week, as evidence that it would be unlikely that there will be a turnaround in the ongoing standoff an
EU 'fully' supports S. Korea's efforts to prevent escalation of tensions on peninsula

Jun 23, 2016

A high-ranking European Union official said Thursday that the EU "fully" supports Seoul's efforts to make sure there is no escalation of tensions, and stressed North Korea's recent test-fire of missiles is drawing strong condemnation from the international community. Gunner Wiegand, managing director of Asia and Pacific at the European External Action Service, also said that the EU-South Korea bilateral relations are in an "excellent stage" but underlined the importance of further improving the
Chinese naval squadron arrives in S. Korean port from Gulf of Aden

Jun 23, 2016

A Chinese naval squadron docked at a port in Korea's southeastern coastal city of Busan on Thursday for exchanges with the Korean Navy as it was returning home following its anti-pirate mission in the waters of the Gulf of Aden off Somalia.The flotilla of Chinese warships is comprised of the 4,050-ton frigate Daqing, the 4,200-ton destroyer Qingdao and the 2,300-ton supply ship Taihu.The three Chinese warships left Qingdao, in China's eastern Shandong Province, in December 2015 for the gulf to c
S. Korea set to hold top commanders' meeting over N.K. missile

Jun 23, 2016

South Korea is set to convene a meeting of top commanders on Thursday to check the country's readiness to counter North Korea's latest missile provocations, Seoul's defense ministry said.Defense Minister Han Min-koo plans to preside over the meeting to be attended by about 150 top-ranked military commanders, to discuss the North's test-firing of two mid-range ballistic missiles and the South Korean military's countermeasures, it said.On Wednesday, North Korea fired off what is believed to be two
Parliament speaker, Chinese envoy discuss ways to bolster ties

Jun 22, 2016

National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun on Wednesday held talks with the Chinese ambassador to Seoul and discussed ways to beef up bilateral ties between the two neighboring countries."South Korea and China have been developing their friendship since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1992. The free trade agreement between the two also helped build up the connection," Chung said during the meeting with Ambassador Qiu Guohong.Chung also said Korea wishes to expand ties with China in various
[HERALD INTERVIEW] Generous state investment buoys Norwegian literature

Jun 20, 2016

When Norwegian author Jostein Gaarder set out to work on what would become the international classic “Sophie’s World” in the early 1990s, he had no other option but to write it quickly. As a well-versed but cash-strapped teacher, time was not on his side. In a matter of weeks, Gaarder authored the philosophical tome, making thrifty use of a government scholarship for writers. “Sophie’s World” -- a surreal fantasy about a teenage girl in Norway who is tutored on philosophical thinking and the his
Sri Lanka beckons with tourism jewels

Jun 20, 2016

Sri Lanka -- an island nation in South Asia -- has emerged from decades of national conflict to reveal its mystic beauties.Known as the “Pearl of the Indian Ocean,” the lush tropical isle is famous for its golden beaches with palm trees, Buddhist temples of glittering relics as well as exotic wildlife and sundry vegetation. Its fledgling tourism industry has registered a 230 percent growth over the last five years, and more than 1.8 million travelers visited last year, including 14,000 Koreans.
Azerbaijan, Korea to cooperate on infrastructure, energy

Jun 19, 2016

Azerbaijan and Korea on June 14 held the first round of a joint commission on economic cooperation aimed at bolstering partnerships in infrastructure, industrial plants and trade and investment. The meeting in Seoul was led by the Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and Azeri Ministry of Communications and High Technologies, and produced a protocol agreement on economic cooperation covering technology transfer, renewable energy, information communications technology and other areas. S
Uzbekistan glitters with Silk Road wonders

Jun 19, 2016

For those that long for the ancient Silk Road splendors from Central Asia, Uzbekistan serves snippets of those former glories, arranged with modern conveniences. The doubly landlocked country in the heart of Eurasia offers a peculiar mishmash of cultural relics: luminous minarets, voluptuous domes and tortuous mosaics, often next to classical Russian architectures and ideological socialist sculptures. Coming out of seven decades of soviet rule through independence in 1991, Uzbekistan has steadil
Korea to open embassy in Madagascar

Jun 19, 2016

South Korea will open an embassy in Madagascar early next month, government sources said Sunday, amid its stepped-up efforts to strengthen diplomacy with the resource-rich continent.The two countries established diplomatic ties in 1962, but Seoul has not opened any mission in Antananarivo, the capital of the southeastern African state. After a government with close ties to North Korea took power in the African state in the 1970s, the bilateral relations remained chilled for nearly two decades. P
Neutral waters between Koreas clear of Chinese fishing boats: defense ministry

Jun 16, 2016

All Chinese boats illegally fishing in the neutral waters near the Han River's estuary between the two Koreas have left the area after the South Korean military kicked off a crackdown operation late last week, the defense ministry said Thursday."Currently, there are no Chinese boats in the neutral waters in the estuary area," Moon Sang-gyun, the Ministry of National Defense's spokesman, said in a regular briefing. "But our military is ready to resume its crackdown because the illegal fishing cou
U.S., Korea, Japan hold trilateral talks on Middle East

Jun 14, 2016

Senior diplomats from the United States, South Korea and Japan held talks in Washington on Monday about increasing cooperation in issues related to the Middle East and North Africa, the State Department said.The trilateral dialogue "provided an important opportunity for the three governments to exchange views and coordinate policy, as well as to explore opportunities to deepen cooperation in the region," the department said in a statement without providing further specifics.Representing the thre