Most Popular
-
1
Yoon’s jailed mother-in-law excluded from latest parole list
-
2
[Herald Interview] 'Amid aging population, Korea to invite more young professionals from overseas'
-
3
Korea’s homegrown nanosatellite successfully launches into space
-
4
Nicaragua shuts down Seoul embassy
-
5
Rocket engine expert, ex-NASA exec to lead Korea's new space agency
-
6
SNU profs to suspend treatment for one day
-
7
SK hynix pledges W20tr to ramp up DRAM production at home
-
8
Hybe's multilabel system tested amid conflict with Ador
-
9
Over-50s, men, single-person households take up majority of those filing for bankruptcy
-
10
Aging population to drive down Korea's housing prices from 2040: experts
-
Japan consul general leaves Korea in protest over 'comfort woman' statue
The Japanese consul general based in South Korea's port city of Busan returned to Tokyo on Monday as a diplomatic row deepened over a recently erected statue that condemns Japan's wartime atrocities, sources said. Consul General in Busan Yasuhiro Morimoto boarded a flight to Japan in the morning at Gimhae International Airport near Busan, according to the sources. Around noon, Japanese Ambassador to South Korea Yasumasa Nagamine is also scheduled to leave the country in a gesture of protest
Jan. 9, 2017
-
Korean envoy asks Denmark for swift decision on Chung Yoo-ra’s extradition
South Korea’s top diplomat in Denmark has urged the Danish prosecution to speed up its decision on whether to extradite Chung Yoo-ra, a high-profile criminal suspect long wanted by Seoul’s special counsel investigators, officials at the South Korean Embassy here said Saturday.The request was made when Ambassador Choi Jai-chul met with Mohammad Ahsan, deputy director at Denmark’s Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, at the latter’s office in Copenhagen on Saturday, the officials said.At
Jan. 8, 2017
-
Japan's top diplomats in South Korea to return home this week
Japan‘s top diplomats in South Korea will return home this week in protest of a new statue recently set up in Busan to remember Korean victims of Japan’s wartime sex slavery, diplomatic sources said Sunday.Japanese Ambassador to South Korea Yasumasa Nagamine plans to leave for Tokyo via Gimpo International Airport in Seoul on Monday morning, while the Japanese consul general in Busan, Yasuhiro Morimoto, will also return to Japan the same day.Last week, Japan decided to temporarily call in its to
Jan. 8, 2017
-
With comfort women, THAAD rows, diplomatic vacuum becoming reality
South Korea’s leadership vacuum is precipitating a diplomatic crisis, as Japan and China press their respective cases over a new “comfort women” statue and a US missile shield in an apparent bid to capitalize on Seoul’s political uncertainties for their own interests. With President Park Geun-hye’s duties in abeyance, Seoul officials are seen struggling to strike a balance between foreign policy interests and ever-growing people’s voices on sensitive diplomatic and security issues. After a respi
Jan. 8, 2017
-
S. Korea's top security official to visit US
South Korea's top presidential security advisor will visit the United States next week to meet officials of the incoming administration to discuss a range of security issues, including North Korea's nuclear threats, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Friday. Kim Kwan-jin, the chief of the National Security Office under the presidential office, will visit the US from Sunday through Wednesday. Kim Kwan-jin, Chief of the National Security Office (Yonhap)His trip has been arranged amid a fl
Jan. 6, 2017
-
S. Korea expresses regret over Japan's action against ‘comfort women’ statue
South Korea expressed “strong regret” over steps taken by Japan on Friday, including recalling its ambassador, in protest against a statue recently set up in front of its consulate office to shed light on its wartime atrocities of forcing women into sexual slavery.“We express our strong regret over the action taken by Japan with regard to the statue,” the foreign ministry said in a comment issued in the name of its spokesman.“The government wants to make it clear again that both countries should
Jan. 6, 2017
-
No. 2 diplomats of S. Korea, Japan spar over historical issues
The No. 2 diplomats of South Korea and Japan sparred over history issues Thursday as they met in Washington on the sidelines of a trilateral cooperation session with the United States. From left are South Korean Vice Minister Lim Sung-nam, US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Shinsuke Sugiyama (Yonhap)The meeting between South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam and his Japanese counterpart Shinsuke Sugiyama came after historical tensions flared an
Jan. 6, 2017
-
Acting president welcomes proposal to hold meeting with political leaders
Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn on Friday welcomed an opposition leader‘s proposal for talks with ruling and opposition party chiefs to discuss the economic and security challenges facing the country. Hwang has vowed to enhance cooperation with the National Assembly in normalizing state affairs that have been hamstrung by a corruption scandal involving President Park Geun-hye and her longtime friend. Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn (Yonhap)On Thursday, Kim Don
Jan. 6, 2017
-
S. Korea, US, Japan agree to accelerate efforts to increase pressure on N. Korea
South Korea, the United States and Japan agreed Thursday to step up joint efforts to increase pressure on North Korea after the communist nation threatened that it's close to perfecting a long-range ballistic missile. South Korean Vice Minister Lim Sung-nam, US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Shinsuke Sugiyama reached the agreement when they held the last round of deputy-level trilateral consultations under the outgoing US administration. From left ar
Jan. 6, 2017
-
Controversy brews over lawmakers’ China visit amid THAAD row
Controversy is growing over a trip to Beijing taken by opposition lawmakers, as top Chinese officials have called for a halt to South Korea’s plan to station a US missile shield while shunning official diplomatic consultations. An eight-member delegation led by Rep. Song Young-gil of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea is currently visiting China. The group, which includes Park Sun-won, a former unification and security secretary to former President Roh Moo-hyun, said it would address
Jan. 5, 2017
-
Korea calls in China envoy to Seoul over THAAD row
The foreign ministry called in the Chinese ambassador to South Korea on Thursday as diplomatic tensions grew over Seoul's plan to deploy an advanced US missile shield.Chinese Ambassador Qiu Guohong was summoned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs earlier in the day, according to officials.Chinese Ambassador Qiu Guohong (Yonhap)Ministry officials discussed China's recent retaliatory actions over the plan to deploy the Terminal-High Altitude Area Defense system, also known as THAAD, with the envoy,
Jan. 5, 2017
-
US ambassador abruptly postpones press meeting citing 'urgent' matter
US Ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert abruptly postponed a press conference scheduled for Thursday, citing an "urgent" reason for the decision.Lippert who started his duty as top US envoy in October 2014 was supposed to hold a "farewell" press conference at 11 a.m. in his residence located in central Seoul. The ambassador appointed by President Barack Obama is expected to leave office soon after the Donald Trump administration takes office on Jan. 20.An embassy official said that the press m
Jan. 5, 2017
-
Chinese FM calls for S. Korea to halt THAAD deployment
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (right) and Rep. Song Young-gil of the Democratic Party of Korea (Yonhap)China's top diplomat called Wednesday for South Korea to halt the planned deployment of the US THAAD missile defense system when he met with a group of South Korean opposition lawmakers, according to the legislators.Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the appeal, saying China doesn't want relations with South Korea to move backward, but it would be unimaginable for the country to say it wants to
Jan. 5, 2017
-
Talk grows in US of possibility of military strikes on N. Korea
Talk is growing in the United States of the possibility of using military strikes to take out North Korea's nuclear and missile capabilities after the North's leader, Kim Jong-un, threatened he's close to testing a long-range missile apparently capable of hitting the US.Kim said in his New Year's Day address that the communist nation has reached the final stage of preparations to test-launch an intercontinental ballistic missile. The remark was seen as a thinly veiled threat that Pyongyang is cl
Jan. 5, 2017
-
S. Korea vows to continue employing pressure, sanctions on NK this year
South Korea plans to faithfully implement a set of UN and unilateral sanctions against North Korea and seek ways to boost their effectiveness this year, Seoul's unification ministry said Wednesday.The ministry handling inter-Korean affairs also said that it will not respond to North Korea's offer for talks which has no sincerity, but instead make efforts to seek inter-Korean dialogue that could contribute to North Korea's denuclearization."This year, North Korea is expected to seek recognition a
Jan. 4, 2017
-
Opposition lawmakers head to China for talks on THAAD tension
A group of seven South Korean opposition lawmakers on Wednesday embarked on a three-day trip to Beijing to discuss diplomatic tension between the two countries over Seoul's plan to deploy a US missile shield.The delegation from the main opposition Democratic Party is expected to voice concerns over a set of recent steps China has taken against South Korean businesses and entertainers in apparent retaliation.Delegation including former Incheon Mayor Song Young-gil at Gimpo International Airport (
Jan. 4, 2017
-
S. Korea mulls measures against China’s THAAD retaliation: foreign minister
South Korea’s top diplomat said Monday the government is mulling countermeasures to deal with China’s recent curbs on Korean businesses and cultural products in an apparent retaliation against Seoul’s missile shield plan. In July, South Korea and the U.S. announced a plan to station the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery this year to defend against growing missile threats from North Korea. China has argued that its strong radar system could hurt its strategic security inter
Jan. 2, 2017
-
Another tumultuous year for Northeast Asia
South Korea faces another turbulent year, as the geostrategic dynamics surrounding Northeast Asia are poised to ebb and flow with an incoming US leadership of Donald Trump, while North Korea spurs its development of nuclear weapons. The Sino-US rivalry would continue to intensify across the region, yet this time the Trump administration’s relationship with Moscow is expected to act as a major variable. With an early presidential election looming, the alliance between Seoul and Washington could b
Jan. 2, 2017
-
Hitting the road on a rustic Korean getaway
For New Zealand Ambassador Clare Fearnley, her trip to North Gyeongsang Province this winter was like a walk down memory lane. Fearnley visited Hahoe Village in Andong -- a UNESCO World Heritage Site -- to participate in the International Mask Dance Festival in early October. The venue offered a “window into Korea’s past,” she said, as a living sanctuary of ancient lifestyles. Participants pose at the Hahoe Village in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, Dec. 17. (Joel Lee/The Korea Herald)Hahoe V
Jan. 2, 2017
-
Diplomat sacked over sexual abuse of minors
The Foreign Ministry on Tuesday decided to dismiss a diplomat who is accused of harassing at least two teenage girls while working in Chile, officials said. Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam convened a disciplinary committee after the counselor-level diplomat, surnamed Park, was caught by a Chilean television show early this month trying to hug and kiss a girl and trying to take another into his room. After calling him home and carrying out a probe last week, the ministry confirmed some of the
Dec. 27, 2016