Most Popular
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Jimin of BTS, actor Song Da-eun suspected to be dating, again
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What's next for the government's push in quota hike?
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Trump may like to 'solve' N. Korean nuclear problem if reelected: ex-official
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Woman falls to death from acquaintance's home after exhibiting ‘unexplained' behaviors
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‘Malice should not undermine the system, social order,’ says Hybe's Bang
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N. Korea slams planned S. Korea-US military drills, warns of 'catastrophic aftermath'
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[Robert J. Fouser] Social attitudes toward language proficiency
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N. Korea fires short-range ballistic missiles toward East Sea: JCS
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[Graphic News] How much do Korean adults read?
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N. Korea says it test-fired tactical ballistic missile with new guidance technology
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Vice foreign minister discusses Korea-Japan row with US officials
South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Lee Tae-ho met with US officials in Washington on Wednesday to discuss ongoing trade tensions between Seoul and Tokyo, as well as other mutual interests.Lee met with US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs David Stilwell and then with US Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth Keith Krach. His visit came days ahead of a Group of 7 summit in France, where Japan is expected to rally support for its position in the row. South Korea
Aug. 22, 2019
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President Moon receives six new ambassadors to Seoul
President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday welcomed six new foreign ambassadors and asked for their support for his peace initiatives involving North Korea. Moon received the credentials of envoys from Singapore, the Philippines, Brunei, Colombia, Bulgaria and Nicaragua during ceremonies at Cheong Wa Dae, according to a press release. Expressing gratitude for the countries’ support for peace on the Korean Peninsula, the president asked for their continued backing for the successful implementa
Aug. 21, 2019
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S. Korea, Britain adopt joint statement on post-Brexit cooperation
South Korea and Britain on Wednesday adopted a joint statement pledging continued close cooperation even after London's expected departure from the European Union (EU) in October, Seoul's foreign ministry said.In the statement, they committed to cooperation for the denuclearization and establishment of permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula, democratic principles, human rights, promotion of trade liberalization and a fight against weapons of mass destruction. Seoul and London have been seeking
Aug. 21, 2019
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Kang, Kono fail to mend fences
The foreign ministers of South Korea and Japan remained at odds in their bilateral meeting held in China on Wednesday, reiterating their respective stances on Tokyo’s wartime forced labor and trade curbs. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her Japanese counterpart, Taro Kono, met for 35 minutes on the sidelines of a trilateral meeting with their Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in Gubei Water Town near the Great Wall in northern Beijing. “Kang strongly urged Kono to retract the country
Aug. 21, 2019
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Top diplomats of S. Korea, China, Japan to hold talks in Beijing
South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for meetings with her Chinese and Japanese counterparts over three-way cooperation and a possible summit among their leaders.Her trip drew keen attention as she plans to meet bilaterally with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono on Wednesday afternoon amid heightened tensions between the two countries over trade and history.Their meeting comes at a delicate time when Seoul is mulling whether to renew a bilateral military i
Aug. 20, 2019
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Kang and Kono to seek diplomatic breakthrough in Beijing
South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha will meet her Japanese counterpart in China in another attempt to ease tensions with Tokyo after a diplomatic feud developed into a trade row and now threatens to weaken security cooperation. Kang, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi gathered in Beijing on Tuesday for the ninth in an ongoing series of trilateral foreign ministers’ meetings involving the top diplomatic officials of the three countries. Th
Aug. 20, 2019
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S. Korean, US diplomats meet in Seoul ahead of negotiations on defense cost sharing
South Korean and US diplomats held talks in Seoul on Tuesday over the allies' envisioned negotiations on the sharing of the cost for the upkeep of American troops here.Chang Won-sam from Seoul's foreign ministry and his US counterpart, Timothy Betts, had the closed-door meeting, as Seoul and Washington are bracing for a new round of talks on how much Seoul will pay for the stationing of the 28,500-strong US Forces Korea (USFK). Chang and Betts were the chief negotiators of the previous negotiati
Aug. 20, 2019
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Seoul summons Japanese envoy over radioactive water disposal plan
South Korea’s Foreign Ministry on Monday sought a detailed explanation on Japan’s reported plan to release radioactive water from the 2011 Fukushima nuclear plant meltdown, while expressing safety concerns. Climate, Environment, Science and Foreign Affairs Director Kwon Se-jung summoned Tomofumi Nishinaga, economic counselor at the Japanese Embassy here, to convey the government’s concerns on the possible disposal of contaminated water. “Our government very gravely recogn
Aug. 19, 2019
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KOICA holds events to mark World Humanitarian Day
The state-run Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) has launched a series of events in Seoul to mark the United Nation’s World Humanitarian Day to honor the contribution of people working on the frontline of emergencies. Under the theme “Gather Together for Humanity,” the KOICA will hold a photo exhibition and talk concerts at Seoul Citizens Hall for eight days from Monday to Aug. 26, jointly with Korea NGO council for Overseas Development Cooperation, UN organizations
Aug. 19, 2019
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S. Korea-ASEAN summit in Nov. to address free trade amid Japan's export curbs: Cheong Wa Dae
South Korea plans to focus on seeking ways to bolster the free trade order during a November special group summit with Southeast Asian nations, Cheong Wa Dae said Sunday, as Tokyo maintains its retaliatory export restrictions against Seoul.The office of President Moon Jae-in revealed the scheme in a press briefing on its preparations for the summit with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) 100 days ahead of its opening. The two-day session is to begin on Nov. 25 in the southern cit
Aug. 18, 2019
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US cites close ties with S. Korea, Japan amid reports Pompeo sided with Tokyo
The United States is committed to maintaining close relationships with both South Korea and Japan, the State Department said Friday amid reports that Washington's top diplomat expressed his support for Tokyo's view on the issue of wartime forced labor.Japanese media have reported that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently agreed with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono's assertion that all matters of compensation related to Tokyo's past use of forced labor were settled under a 1965 deal nor
Aug. 17, 2019
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Foreign ministry voices regret over Kono's remarks on President Moon
South Korea's foreign ministry expressed regret Friday over the top Japanese diplomat's remarks calling for President Moon Jae-in to "exert his leadership" to address a rancorous row over Tokyo's wartime forced labor. In a meeting with reporters on Thursday, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono renewed Tokyo's claim that South Korea breached international law by demanding compensation for the victims of forced labor and said that Moon should "rectify" the sit
Aug. 16, 2019
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S. Korea, China, Japan to hold foreign ministers' meeting in Beijing next week
South Korea, China and Japan will hold a trilateral meeting of their foreign ministers in Beijing next week to discuss three-way cooperation and regional and international situations, Seoul's foreign ministry said Friday. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her Chinese and Japanese counterparts, Wang Yi and Taro Kono, plan to hold talks from Tuesday to Thursday, but they are still coordinating over whether they would meet bilaterally, the ministry said.The first such gathering since 2016 would c
Aug. 16, 2019
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Seoul to toughen inspections of waste imports from Japan
South Korea will tighten its environmental and safety inspections for recycling waste imported from Japan, the government said Friday, in an apparent attempt to counter Japan’s recent trade restrictions on Korea.The Ministry of Environment said it would conduct radioactive and heavy metals tests on battery, tire and plastic waste imported from Japan into Korea once a month, instead of the current quarterly inspection.Announcing the decision, the ministry cited public concerns about radioac
Aug. 16, 2019
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Ex-US Rep. Honda visits shelter for sexual slavery victims
Former US Rep. Mike Honda paid a visit to a shelter that houses South Korean women who were forced into sexual enslavement by Japan on Thursday.Honda met two victims at the shelter and expressed hope that they will be able to receive an apology from the Japanese government, according to an official from the shelter. The House of Sharing, just outside of Seoul, opened in 1992 for the victims who were forced into sexual enslavement by the Japanese military during Tokyo's 1910-45 brutal colonial ru
Aug. 15, 2019
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Seoul, Tokyo cancel vice foreign ministers meeting
South Korea’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday denied reports that the vice foreign ministers of Seoul and Tokyo would meet this week to discuss the trade row. Ministries from both sides appear to have canceled the plan after it was reported by the media. Citing diplomatic sources, news outlets in the two countries reported that South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Cho Sei-young and his Japanese counterpart, Takeo Akiba, would meet Friday or Saturday to discuss ways to resolve the ongoing trade
Aug. 14, 2019
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Japan names Koji Tomita new ambassador to S. Korea: sources
Japan has named Ambassador Koji Tomita with several years of diplomatic experience in South Korea as its new top envoy in Seoul, informed sources said Wednesday. Late last month, Tokyo made a request for Seoul's consent to the 62-year-old diplomat's nomination in an "agrement" -- a diplomatic procedure required before his official appointment, the sources said.If appointed, Tomita will replace Ambassador Yasumasa Nagamine, who is set to wrap up his three-year stint in South Korea next
Aug. 14, 2019
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[Anniversay Special] ‘Human rights, free trade key to overcoming diplomatic row with Japan’
South Korea should target Japan’s “abandonment” of the universal values of human rights and free trade to resolve their escalating dispute, according to professor of Japanese studies Lee Won-deog. Meanwhile, he said, a tit-for-tat response to its retaliatory export restrictions is not a wise strategy.“Given the asymmetry of their economies, a more effective way of pressing Japan is to take actions that follow the universal values or norms,” Lee, a professor at Kookm
Aug. 14, 2019
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Moon urges measures against Japan's Dokdo claim, handling of radioactive water: source
President Moon Jae-in has instructed South Korean government officials not to sit idle on Japan's territorial claims over Dokdo and potential release of radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean, an informed source said Tuesday.His call came amid unrelenting trade and diplomatic disputes between the neighboring countries. Tokyo started the fight with export restrictions, and Seoul hit back with similar retaliatory measures. Adding to the uproar among South Koreans over Japan's export curbs, appar
Aug. 14, 2019
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S. Korea to actively deal with radioactive water discharge from Fukushima plant
South Korea will actively seek ways to deal with Japan's planned discharge of water contaminated as a result of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear power plant meltdown, Seoul's foreign ministry said Tuesday, amid concern storage space will soon run out.The treatment of radioactive water stored in tanks in Fukushima has drawn international concern in recent months following reports that the Japanese government is considering releasing the water into the Pacific Ocean, among other options. Tokyo Electric
Aug. 13, 2019