South Korea will revise the travel warning system for conflict-prone regions in Africa and the Middle East, in a move to prevent recurrence of the recent case of a citizen who was rescued after being held captive by militants in the region for a month, a Foreign Ministry official said Monday. The alert level for the eastern part of Burkina Faso in West Africa will be raised to level three, or red, warning people not to travel there or to leave the country.  Unnamed freed South Korean hostage, le

Foreign Affairs May 13, 2019

The escalating tensions between the US and China highlight the pressing need for broadening South Korea’s diplomatic horizon further with President Moon Jae-in’s initiative that aims at deepening ties with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations. However, the policy should address more regional issues rather than just expanding Seoul’s economic presence in the ASEAN block, experts said.  President Moon Jae-in (second from left) at 31st ASEAN Summits in Manila, Philippines, Nov. 13,

Foreign Affairs May 12, 2019

For those who dream of escaping from the hustle and bustle of the city life, Seongnagwon offers a new level of relaxation, with 200 years of history that had been veiled until only recently. The garden, whose name means “enjoy nature outside of the castle,” is open to the public only temporarily, from April 23 to June 11, as preservation work is not yet completed.Created in 1790, Seongnagwon was used as a royal villa for 35 years by Yi Gang, the fifth son of King Gojong of the late Joseon era (1

Travel May 10, 2019

The South Korean government is ramping up efforts to send food aid to North Korea in an attempt to thaw relations and revive stalled denuclearization negotiations between the US and the North, but it remains unclear how Pyongyang will respond. The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, the Unification Ministry and Foreign Ministry are moving swiftly to clear obstacles in providing humanitarian assistance to North Korea, after a call between President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump on Tues

Foreign Affairs May 9, 2019

South Korea’s Ambassador to Russia Lee Suk-bae has pledged to deepen bilateral cooperation with Moscow, a country that he believes will contribute to building a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. “This is a very important moment for strategic communication between South Korea and Russia for denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and establishment of a peace regime,” Lee, who was appointed as a new ambassador to Russia on May 3, told reporters on Tuesday. South Korea’s Ambassador to Russia L

Foreign Affairs May 7, 2019

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s call for multilateral dialogue to provide an international security guarantee for North Korea has raised the possibility of resuming six-party talks, but experts said this is highly unlikely.The talks involving the two Koreas, the US, China, Russia and Japan began in 2003 in an effort to persuade the North to give up its nuclear ambitions. But the talks collapsed in 2008 mainly because the North denied access to its nuclear facilities. Russia's President Vladim

North Korea April 29, 2019

Defense officials from South Korea, the US and Japan will meet here in early May for annual trilateral talks, the Defense Ministry said Sunday, amid tensions between Seoul and Tokyo over an incident in the East Sea in December. Japan has accused a South Korean warship of locking its fire-control radar on a Japanese maritime patrol aircraft, a claim South Korea denies.The goal of the Defense Trilateral Talks, which have been held every year since 2008, is to deepen cooperation on regional securit

Defense April 28, 2019

Russian President Vladimir Putin called Thursday for the resumption of six-way talks on North Korea’s denuclearization to move stalled negotiations forward. “If South Korea and the US can offer sufficient measures for (North Korea’s security) guarantee, the six-party talks may not be operated. But the guarantee mechanism from the South and the US does not seem to be sufficient,” he said.He was speaking at a press conference after a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for the first time a

North Korea April 25, 2019

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held his first talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, reaching out to the country’s traditional ally as nuclear negotiations with the US remain in a stalemate. At 1 p.m., Kim and Putin started a one-on-one session, which was followed by a three-hour extended session with policy staff at Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok, Russia’s Pacific port city.  Russian Presi

North Korea April 25, 2019

About a year ago, President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held their historic first summit at the border village of Panmunjom, which led to a rapid thaw in inter-Korean relations.To mark the first anniversary of the Panmunjom Declaration that the two Koreas signed at the April 27 inter-Korean summit, the South will hold a ceremony Saturday at the recently demilitarized Panmunjom, though Pyongyang’s lukewarm attitude toward Seoul in recent months indicates a slim chance of the N

North Korea April 24, 2019

The Korean Wave has enhanced cultural exchange between Korea and the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, building a close regional bond, experts said at a forum organized by The Korea Herald on Wednesday. Under the theme of “ASEAN and Korean Waves,” some 30 high-level representatives from leading media organizations in Southeast Asian countries and Korea, as well as the government, academia and business communities, discussed ways to spread the phenomenon through mutu

Diplomatic Circuit April 24, 2019

Preparations are in full swing for the upcoming summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Vladivostok, with Pyongyang’s confirmation of the state visit Tuesday. North Korea’s state-run airline landed at an airport in Vladivostok on Tuesday morning, hours after the Korean Central News Agency confirmed that Kim “will soon pay a visit to the Russian Federation at the invitation of Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, president of the Russian Federation.” In thi

Foreign Affairs April 23, 2019