A possible resumption of talks between the US and North Korea is in the spotlight as the top nuclear negotiator from Washington is due in Seoul on Tuesday, the final day of their joint military drills. According to the US Department of State, US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun is set to arrive here after visiting Tokyo. His trip to both countries is intended to “further strengthen coordination on the final, fully verified denuclearization” of North Korea. 

South Korea’s presidential office on Friday convened an emergency National Security Council meeting following North Korea’s latest projectile launches. “An emergency NSC meeting was called, and the North Korea’s short-range projectiles and the overall military security situation on the Korean Peninsula was reviewed,” Cheong Wa Dae said in a statement. The meeting was held at 9 a.m., presided by national security director Chung Eui-yong. Earlier in the day, the

North Korea has fired two more projectiles into the East Sea in the early hours of Friday, further raising tensions on the peninsula. According to Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, North Korea fired two projectiles from Tongchun, a country near the east coast of North Korean part of Gangwon Province. Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said that the military is analyzing the projectiles, and maintaining high level of readiness. South Korean and US militaries have yet to release details o

President Moon Jae-in said Thursday that Seoul will cooperate with Tokyo if it retracts its recent trade restrictions, stressing the importance of international cooperation and free trade. “Within the realm of the international division of labor, if any country weaponizes a sector where it has a comparative advantage, the peaceful free trade order will inevitably suffer damages,” Moon said in his Liberation Day speech. “Better late than never. If Japan chooses the path of

As he approaches the halfway point in his term, President Moon Jae-in is juggling hefty issues on both the international and domestic fronts. On the home front, Moon faces mounting criticism on a wide range of issues. Personnel choices, politics of security and economyIn addition to increasingly tricky international issues, Moon is faced with complex domestic political issues, ranging from high-level personnel choices to accusations that his administration has botched state affairs. In the

Following is the first part in a two-part series on the crisis facing the Moon Jae-in administration -- Ed.Just over two years into his five-year term, President Moon Jae-in is facing the biggest crisis of his term yet, pressed on all fronts due to the weak economy, domestic politics, ties with North Korea and other diplomatic concerns. Japan, history and tradeTopping the long list of issues which Moon faces is the escalating tension with Japan. Since he took office, bilateral relations with Tok

North Korea on Wednesday said that its recent weapon tests are a warning to South Korea’s “warmongers” who are raising tension on the peninsula. “Our military actions will be an opportunity to send an accurate warning on the joint military exercise the US and South have begun,” North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was quoted as saying by the North’s Rodong Sinmun.  The message comes a day after North Korea fired what it calls a newly developed guided bomb. Tue

President Moon Jae-in on Monday stressed the need to seek economic growth and improve inter-Korean relations in overcoming trade curbing measures imposed by Japan. Speaking at a weekly meeting with senior aides, Moon said that the government must look beyond responding to Japan’s measures to laying the foundation for overtaking Japan’s economy, and highlighted the importance of what he called a “peace economy.”“Extraordinary determination and bigger perspective to o

Unofficial edited translation provided by Cheong Wa Dae 　This Cabinet meeting has been urgently convened to respond to the diplomatic and economic emergency situation.The Japanese government has decided to remove South Korea from its whitelist of trading partners. This is a very reckless decision that rebuffs the diplomatic efforts to resolve the problem and further exacerbates the situation. I express profound regret.Ultimately, the Japan dismissed Korea’s proposal to put our heads togeth

President Moon Jae-in on Friday warned that Seoul will “resolutely take corresponding measures” against Japan’s move to remove South Korea from its list of trusted trade partners. Earlier in the day, the Japanese government decided to remove Korea from the whitelist of countries that receive preferential treatment in importing materials and goods from Japan. “(I) express deep regret at the reckless decision that makes the situation worse, while refusing diplomatic ef

South Korea’s fifth-biggest island, Ganghwado, off the coast of Incheon is a place steeped in history.Its strategic location has made it a vital military outpost for centuries, and it was the site of numerous battles from the Three Kingdoms period to the 20th century. During the Goryeo Kingdom, which lasted from early 10th to 14th century, Ganghwado was briefly the location of the country’s capital during an invasion by the Mongolian dynasty of Yuan that held power in China in the 13

A task force and a situation team will be launched to deal with the recent decision by Japan to remove Korea from its “whitelist” of trusted trade partners, Seoul’s presidential office said Friday.“(Cheong Wa Dae) expresses deep regret over the Abe government’s decision to remove Korea from the whitelist,” Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Ko Min-jung said.  Saying Seoul had continually called for dialogue with Japan, she added that efforts had been made to reso

Seoul will be forced to reconsider its security cooperation with Tokyo, should Japan take further trade-curbing measures, South Korea’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-wha said Thursday. According to Seoul’s Foreign Ministry, Kang gave the warning during her meeting with her Japanese counterpart Taro Kono in Bangkok, on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum.“If the decision (to remove South Korea from the trade whitelist) is made at tomorrow’s Cabinet meeting,

North Korea has indicated its willingness to resume talks with the US “very soon” at an undisclosed meeting between high-ranking officials at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) last week, foreign news outlets reported Wednesday.  Citing unnamed senior officials from the Donald Trump administration, the Associated Press and Reuters reported that the two sides met at the inter-Korean border sometime last week without specifying the date. According to the reports, a high-ranking official

The conflict between South Korea and Japan over trade and historical issues is likely to intensify in the coming days, but prospects of a diplomatic solution remain unclear. Foreign Affairs Minister Kang Kyung-wha said in a Cabinet meeting Friday that there is “significant” possibility of Japan removing Korea from its whitelist of trade partners. Such a move will result in Japanese firms requiring government approval for individual shipments to Korea of most materials and produc