Uncertainties over the prospects of inter-Korean ties rose Saturday as the rare cross-border talks broke down due to differences over a series of pending issues including the stalled tours to Mount Geumgangsan and the issue of families separated by the border. The vice minister-level talks that started amicably Friday turned into a grueling tug-of-war as Pyongyang officials insisted on resuming the lucrative tours to the mountain and linking the issue to the issue of separated families, Seoul of

North Korea Dec. 13, 2015

This is the ninth installment in a series of interviews with scholars and experts on China as a resurgent Asian power that is changing the regional order. This installment looks into China’s growing nationalism. -- Ed.　　　China has utilized growing nationalism for domestic purposes such as fostering national unity and reinforcing the governing legitimacy of the Communist Party, China expert Lee Dong-ryul said, calling its nationalism a “state-controlled” one.Lee Dong-ryulUnlike South Korea, the C

Foreign Affairs Dec. 8, 2015

Relations between South Korea and a group of four central European nations opened a new chapter on Thursday as they agreed to step up their cooperation in infrastructure development, security, climate change and other areas during their first-ever summit in the Czech Republic. President Park Geun-hye (second from left) and the leaders of the four-nation "Visegrad Group" hold a joint press conference in Prague, the Czech Republic on Thursday. (Yonhap)At the summit with the “Visegrad Group” -- als

Foreign Affairs Dec. 4, 2015

South Korea and the Czech Republic agreed to cooperate in the latter’s project to build and maintain additional nuclear power plants during their summit Wednesday, paving the way for Korean firms to join the project estimated to be worth more than 10 trillion won ($8.6 billion).President Park Geun-hye and Czech President Milos Zeman shake hands before their summit talks Wednesday at the Prague Castle in the Czech Republic’s capital. (Yonhap)On the occasion of the summit between President Park Ge

Foreign Affairs Dec. 2, 2015

This is the eighth installment in a series of interviews with scholars and experts on China as a resurgent Asian power that is changing the regional order. This installment looks into China’s military power vis-a-vis that of the U.S. Due to the depth and extent of areas covered in this installment, the interview is published on two consecutive pages to provide an unabridged version. -- Ed.　　　China remains far inferior to the U.S. in terms of aggregate military power, but it would be wrong to und

Foreign Affairs Dec. 2, 2015

In March 2014, President Park Geun-hye unveiled an ambitious plan to build a multilateral bank to develop North Korea and other areas in Northeast Asia, saying it would help bolster inter-Korean exchanges, ease cross-border tensions and lay the groundwork for reunification. Park continued to tout the initiative most recently at the G20 summit last month.President Park Geun-hye speaks during a U.N. climate change forum in Paris, France on Monday. (Yonhap)But the much-trumpeted plan faces a series

Foreign Affairs Dec. 1, 2015

The two Koreas agreed to hold vice-minister-level talks at the joint industrial complex in the North Korean border city of Gaeseong on Dec. 11 to discuss bilateral pending issues to improve cross-border relations, Seoul’s Unification Ministry said Friday. 　Kim Ki-woong (right), assistant minister of South Korea’s Unification Ministry’s Special Office for Inter-Korean Dialogue, shakes hands with Hwang Chol (left), a senior official of the North’s Committee for Peaceful Unification of the Fatherla

North Korea Nov. 27, 2015

The two Koreas on Thursday held a working-level meeting to arrange high-level government talks, amid concerns that Pyongyang’s continued criticisms against Seoul’s policies could hamper the budding mood for dialogue.Kim Ki-woong (right), assistant minister of South Korea’s Unification Ministry’s Special Office for Inter-Korean Dialogue, shakes hands with Hwang Chol (left), a senior official of the North’s Committee for Peaceful Unification of the Fatherland before their talks in Tongilgak on the

North Korea Nov. 26, 2015

This is the seventh installment in a series of interviews with scholars and experts on China as a resurgent Asian power that is changing the regional order. This installment looks into the strengths and weaknesses of the Communist Party of China. -- Ed.The greatest vulnerability facing the Communist Party of China is that it has never been given a popular mandate to rule the nation, China expert Yang Gab-yong said, underscoring the importance of the trust of the Chinese people to keep its govern

Foreign Affairs Nov. 26, 2015

South Korea’s project to develop its own fighter jet appears to be facing yet another setback, as some Washington officials are reportedly opposed to a U.S. defense firm’s transfer of technologies to facilitate the project.Defense Minister Han Min-koo(left) and Chang Myoung-jin, the head of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, attend a parliamentary session on Wednesday.(Yonhap)Lockheed Martin has agreed to offer the 21 technologies in “broad terms,” but the U.S. State Department dema

Defense Nov. 25, 2015