South Korea affirmed its stance on a comprehensive agreement and step-by-step implementation approach for North Korea’s denuclearization process, ahead of ministerial level talks with the US. Before departing for Washington on Thursday, Lee Do-hoon, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said he would discuss ways to rekindle the bilateral dialogue between the US and North Korea with US Special Representative for North Korea Ste

North Korea March 28, 2019

One of the suspects behind an attack on the North Korean Embassy in Spain has been revealed to be well-known human rights activist Adrian Hong Chang, according to a news outlet that specializes in North Korea issues. Hong, a Mexican passport holder who lives in the US, is believed to be the leader of a 10-member group that broke into the embassy in Madrid on Feb. 22 and tried to persuade a North Korean commercial attache to defect. The group left him tied up in the basement when he refused and t

North Korea March 27, 2019

Cyber spies suspected of working for the North Korean regime have broadened attacks against official and corporate targets in South Korea, at a time of raised attention on nuclear negotiations and as its economy suffers from international sanctions. Early morning on Jan. 7, a group of reporters covering South Korea’s ministry in charge of relations with North Korea received a suspicious email carrying malicious code.The malicious email was disguised as an invitation to a press conference to prev

North Korea March 26, 2019

King Philippe of Belgium and his wife Queen Mathilde kicked off their four-day state visit to South Korea on Monday, aimed at boost economic cooperation and cultural ties between the two countries. President Moon Jae-in and King Philippe Leopold Louis Marie will discuss ways to deepen substantive cooperation in diplomatic relations and expand business collaborations, especially in the information and communication technology, chemicals, logistics and food industries. King Philippe and Queen Math

Diplomatic Circuit March 25, 2019

Ethiopia can share its recent experience of ending a 20-year border war with longtime foe Eritrea to encourage South Korea’s initiative to create a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. The border between Ethiopia and Eritrea reopened in September last year following a peace agreement that put an end to what once seemed an irresolvable conflict, having led to war from 1998 to 2000. Shiferaw Shigutie, Ethiopian ambassador to South Korea, poses during an interview with The Korea Herald at the Ethi

Diplomatic Circuit March 25, 2019

North Korean officials have returned to the inter-Korean liaison office, according to a Unification Ministry official on Monday, and things appear to be back to business as usual just days after Pyongyang’s abrupt announcement of the withdrawal of all its staff.“The North Koreans said that they came down (to the liaison office) for the shift as usual,” the official said. (Yonhap)He added that the North expressed unchanged commitment to run the office in accordance with the agreement signed by th

North Korea March 25, 2019

North Korea officials have pulled out from the joint liaison office with South Korea, which opened in the North’s border town of Kaesong in September 2018. The order for withdrawal came from superior authorities in the North, according to the Seoul’s Ministry of Unification on Friday. The ministry said South Korean officials will continue to work at the office as the North said it does not care whether they remain or withdraw from the place. The government regrets Pyongyang’s decision to withdra

North Korea March 22, 2019

North Korea’s propaganda outlets Friday called on the South Korean government to play an active role in implementing measures to improve inter-Korean relations as the US continues to reiterate its stance of keeping sanctions in place. The state-run online publication Meari denounced the South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for holding back from raising inter-Korean issues with the US by labeling itself as a mediator or a facilitator for Washington-Pyongyang dialogue. As a “core party concer

North Korea March 22, 2019

South Korea greatly expanded exchanges and cooperation with North Korea last year, buoyed by a diplomatic thaw following three inter-Korean summits, according to a new white paper published by the Ministry of Unification on Thursday. The number of South Koreans visiting the North and vice versa increased sharply to 7,498 in 2018 from 115 in 2017, the paper said.  (Yonhap)The surge was attributed to government initiatives to cooperate with the North on an inter-Korean railway connection project,

North Korea March 21, 2019

The state-run Korea International Cooperation Agency is considering whether to grant official development assistance to North Korea despite sanctions prohibiting cash transfers, according to an opposition lawmaker Wednesday.KOICA outsourced a study this month regarding grant aid to the North, with the aim of pursuing development cooperation in an effort to ease tensions between the two Koreas and to eliminate military threats, according to Rep. Lee Jong-myeong of the main opposition Liberty Kore

North Korea March 20, 2019

Humanitarian activities for millions of hungry and sick people in North Korea are at risk of being scaled back due to economic sanctions and donor fatigue amid nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang that struggle to make tangible progress.One of the world’s poorest countries, with over 43 percent of the population undernourished, the North’s food production touched its lowest point in 10 years last year. A North Korean paediatrician counsels mothers in Jongju City Hospital about care for

North Korea March 18, 2019

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday it expects tangible progress in North Korea’s complete denuclearization and the establishment of a permanent peace regime on the Korean Peninsula with follow-up efforts that will seek to overcome the setback in talks between Washington and Pyongyang in February. The announcement came as part of the ministry’s work plans for 2019, submitted to Cheong Wa Dae and the Office for the Government Policy Coordination late last month.  Foreign Minister Kang

Diplomatic Circuit March 13, 2019

To mark 60 years of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Sweden, the Swedish Embassy in Seoul hosted commemorative events this month. The embassy held a ceremony and reception, followed by a screening of the documentary film “The Swedes in the Korean War” at the Seoul Museum of History, Monday. Jakob Hallgren, Ambassadsor of Sweden to South KoreaFollowing the outbreak of Korean War on June 25 1950, the Scandinavian country offered medical assistance to Korea by establishing Swedish Red C

Diplomatic Circuit March 11, 2019

Officials from South Korea and Australia met in Seoul on March 7 to discuss ways to foster bilateral development cooperation and support the stable development of Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific region. A key topic at the meeting, called the fifth high-level consultations on development cooperation, was potential collaboration on infrastructure facility projects in Southeast Asia. The discussion was a follow-up to an agreement reached at the bilateral summit in November on the occasion of th

Diplomatic Circuit March 11, 2019

Kim Yeon-chul, who was tapped as the new unification minister Friday, has more than 20 years of experience dealing with inter-Korean and unification issues as a policy adviser and scholar. Currently, Kim serves as the president of the Korea Institute for National Unification, a government-funded think tank, and teaches at the Department of Korea Unification of Inje University. The Korea Institute for National Unification President Kim Yeon-chul (Yonhap)Kim is one of seven new ministers nominated

Politics March 8, 2019