US climate envoy John Kerry reaffirmed Washington’s backing for Japan’s recent decision to release radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea, while ruling out the possibility of stepping into the related process, amid Seoul’s call for Washington’s cooperation in ensuring Tokyo’s transparency. 　 “The US is confident that the government of Japan has had full consultation with IAEA, that IAEA has set up a rigorous process,” Kerry sai

Foreign Affairs April 18, 2021

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday stressed that South Korea must continue to lead the global chip supply chain and pledged support for the local semiconductor industry, amid the prolonged chip shortage and intensifying US-China trade tensions. 　 Moon called the semiconductor sector a “core national strategic industry” that will decide the country’s economy going forward, as he convened an “expanded meeting” of economy-related ministers at Cheong Wa Dae to tackle wa

Politics April 15, 2021

Speculation is rising that Pyongyang could up the ante with further military provocations this week as it marks a major national holiday, following up on its recent missile launches, experts say. 　 Thursday marks the birthday of Kim Il-sung, the country’s founder and the late grandfather of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Known in the North as the Day of the Sun, it is one of the country’s most important national holidays. Military parades and cultural events are typically held fo

North Korea April 13, 2021

South Korea and the US on Thursday signed the recently concluded agreement on how to share the cost of the US military presence here, resolving an impasse in negotiations that lasted more than a year and put a strain on the decadeslong alliance. 　 Under the new deal that was reached last month, Seoul agreed to pay 1.183 trillion won ($1.06 billion) this year for the upkeep of the 28,500-strong US Forces Korea. That is a 13.9 percent hike from the previous 2019 deal, the biggest annual rise for

Foreign Affairs April 8, 2021

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un stressed the importance of “party cells” -- the grassroots units of the ruling Workers Party -- and urged them to work in a more proactive and responsible way toward the policy goals set forth at the earlier party congress, the North’s state media reported Wednesday. 　 Kim delivered the opening address Tuesday at a conference of party cell secretaries, who lead basic units consisting of five to 30 members, according to the Korea Central News Ag

North Korea April 7, 2021

North Korea on Tuesday announced it will not participate in the upcoming Tokyo Summer Olympics due to coronavirus concerns, thwarting Seoul’s hopes to use the games as an opportunity for rapprochement with the reclusive regime.  Pyongyang said the decision to skip the Olympics to be held on July 23 to Aug. 8 was to “protect athletes from the global health crisis caused by the malicious virus infection.” The decision was made when the North’s national Olympic commit

North Korea April 6, 2021

A growing number of South Koreans living in Myanmar are being evacuated from the country amid a violent crackdown on anti-coup protests that has left hundreds dead. 　 According to the Korean Foreign Ministry on Monday, a total of 411 Korean nationals residing in the Southeast Asian country have returned home since the military seized control of the country Feb. 1. 　 Starting this month, the number of chartered flights between Yangon and Incheon has been increased to facilitate the swift retur

Foreign Affairs April 5, 2021

As high-level talks by top security officials in the US and China ended with putting North Korea’s denuclearization issue at the fore, all eyes are on what kind of changes it could bring on the Korean Peninsula under the Biden administration amid an intensifying US-China rivalry.  Experts say Seoul’s push for reviving the deadlocked nuclear diplomacy with Pyongyang could gain momentum following the meetings, but as to whether the reclusive regime will respond and how South Kor

Foreign Affairs April 4, 2021

South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong on Wednesday expressed hopes of meeting with his Japanese counterpart at an early date in an effort to repair bilateral ties that have long been strained over economic and historic disputes.   　 “Personally, I hope for the foreign ministerial talks between Korea and Japan to take place at an early date,” Chung told a press conference held at the Foreign Ministry, saying he was intent on meeting Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu M

Foreign Affairs March 31, 2021

The Korea International Cooperation Agency on Tuesday vowed to focus on digitization, expanding eco-friendly projects in its official development assistance programs, in line with the government’s push for green growth. 　 At the press conference marking KOICA’s 30th anniversary, Sohn Hyuk-sang, president of the state-run overseas aid agency, reflected on the past 30 years of aid history and pointed to three areas the agency would emphasize in order to become a leading global agency

Foreign Affairs March 30, 2021

North Korea on Monday denounced the United Nations for applying a “double standard” in criticizing Pyongyang’s recent missile test, accusing the international organization of infringing on the North’s sovereignty.   　 Jo Chol-su, director general of the department of international organizations within North Korea’s Foreign Ministry, issued a statement via the state-run Korea Central News Agency on Monday, after Pyongyang test-fired two short-range ballistic m

North Korea March 29, 2021

South Korea and Japan’s unresolved dispute over what to call a body of water between the two countries came to the fore again after the US military called it the “East Sea,” and then later corrected it to the “Sea of Japan.” On Thursday, the US Indo-Pacific Command, in confirming North Korea’s missiles test, said the launches were made into the “East Sea,” the name which Seoul prefers.  Tokyo immediately protested the reference, with its De

Foreign Affairs March 26, 2021

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday stressed efforts to maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and called for related countries to renounce the arms race amid a ramping up of tensions in the region, following Pyongyang’s launch of what appeared to be ballistic missiles.   　 Lavrov’s remark came after his meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul, just hours after North Korea had fired two short-range

Foreign Affairs March 25, 2021

The United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution on Tuesday condemning human rights violations in North Korea once again. South Korea decided not to co-sponsor it for the third year in a row. 　 The UN’s top human rights body passed the resolution by consensus for the 19th straight year during its 46th session in Geneva. 　 For the third consecutive year, South Korea opted out of co-sponsoring the bill, which denounces the regime’s human rights abuses, taking part in the

North Korea March 24, 2021

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and first lady Kim Jung-sook received their first doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday, in preparation to visit the United Kingdom for a Group of Seven summit in June. 　 Moon, 68, was administered the shot in his left arm at the Jongno-gu public health center near the presidential office, along with first lady Kim and nine Cheong Wa Dae aides, including national security adviser Suh Hoon, who are accompanying them to Britain in June. 　 Korea

Politics March 23, 2021