A South Korean appeals court found the Japanese government liable for damages to be paid to Korean women forced to work in wartime brothels during its 1910-45 occupation of the peninsula, reversing the previous ruling two years ago. A group of 21 plaintiffs -- “comfort women” or sex abuse victims who are still alive and their families -- filed the complaint in 2016. Dismissing the case in 2021, the court acknowledged Japan has state immunity from lawsuits in another country. The same

Foreign Affairs Nov. 23, 2023

The chief nuclear envoys for North Korea from South Korea, the US and Japan strongly condemned the regime for launching what it claims to be a spy satellite, which has now been placed into orbit according to the North. In a phone call Wednesday, Kim Gunn -- South Korea’s special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs -- was joined by his US and Japanese counterparts in warning of action following Pyongyang’s latest provocation a day earlier. Jung H. Pak, deput

North Korea Nov. 22, 2023

North Korea on Tuesday notified Japan that its satellite launch would take place between Nov. 22 and Dec. 1 in a third attempt this year, amid concerns that Pyongyang is seeking to advance the country’s weapons technologies. The notice prompted immediate protest from chief nuclear envoys from South Korea, the US and Japan. In a phone call, Kim Gunn -- special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs -- was joined by his US and Japanese counterparts in urging the North

North Korea Nov. 21, 2023

South Korea said it would take action against North Korea for launching what it claims to be a spy satellite, potentially within the next week, in the starkest warning yet over what the South believes is a violation of UN Security Council resolutions banning missile tests. At a briefing Monday, Kang Ho-pil, chief director of operations at the South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, urged the North to immediately stop preparations for another launch after two previous failures this year. “The

North Korea Nov. 20, 2023

The less contentious tone struck at talks Wednesday between US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping is a sign South Korea could inject fresh momentum for better Seoul-Beijing ties, experts said as the two Asian neighbors look to move past the US-China rivalry. The four-hour dialogue made “real progress,” Biden said of the meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco. The conversation, the first in a year, led to resuming mi

Foreign Affairs Nov. 16, 2023

The top diplomats from South Korea, the US and Japan reaffirmed their commitment to dealing with growing military exchanges between Russia and North Korea, calling them a serious global threat at a gathering on the sidelines of the APEC meeting in San Francisco. Foreign Minister Park Jin, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa discussed coordinating policy on North Korea, going over steps taken to deliver on what the three agreed at Camp David in August,

Foreign Affairs Nov. 15, 2023

A group of 19 South Koreans held captive by a criminal organization in Myanmar have been freed by local police, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday. The ministry said it had sought to arrange their release after receiving a report early last month that they had been locked up in the border town of Tachileik by what it called an “illegal company.” “We reached out to local police for their immediate release, and authorities raided the firm in late October,” the mini

Foreign Affairs Nov. 14, 2023

Two South Korean nationals sentenced to death for drug trafficking by a Vietnamese court will be offered consular services necessary for due process and a fair trial in case of appeal, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said Monday. The two Koreans were among 18 defendants found guilty of drug offenses in a trial court ruling last week, according to VnExpress, a Vietnamese online media outlet. Kim, 63, and Kang, 30, were partners who had made ties in a Korean prison for unrelated crimes. A Chinese na

Foreign Affairs Nov. 13, 2023

North Korea criticized US Secretary of State Antony Blinken for “irresponsible and provocative” remarks last week about deepening military ties between the North and Russia, saying destabilizing actions by the US and its partners on the Korean Peninsula would be met with strong countermeasure. The top US diplomat said Pyongyang is providing military equipment to Moscow to use for its war in Ukraine, while the North in return receives technical support to advance its military programs

North Korea Nov. 12, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol held a summit with Italian President Sergio Mattarella, on a state visit to South Korea, and discussed ways to strengthen cooperation between the two countries. “Italy is a country that had helped us during the Korean War with medical support. … Together we share values like freedom, human rights and the rule of law. I look forward to strengthening exchanges in the future,” Yoon said at the meeting Wednesday. Rome was one of five countries that deployed

Foreign Affairs Nov. 8, 2023

South Korea and the United States discussed bolstering steps to curb North Korean cyberattacks that the two allies say are meant to bankroll the isolated country’s nuclear and missile programs. The two-day meeting that ended Tuesday in Washington focused on coordinating policy on sharing information about tactics Pyongyang has been using, such as deploying its overseas information technology workers. They work remotely through freelance platforms to steal cryptocurrencies, among other hack

North Korea Nov. 8, 2023

South Korea will open 10 new embassies overseas next year to provide manpower and resources increasingly needed to support its rising global profile, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said Tuesday. Countries that will see the new Korean diplomatic missions are: Armenia, Estonia, Georgia, Jamaica, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Marshall Islands, Sierra Leone, Slovenia and Zambia. Among the ten nations, Georgia and Jamaica will see their previous embassy-level offices promoted to official embassies. Seoul

Foreign Affairs Nov. 7, 2023

North Korea said Friday that it will carry out efforts to step up its military deterrence and take military action, following a US intercontinental missile test late last month, in a commentary released by the official Korean Central News Agency. An Air Force Minuteman III ICBM exploded over the Pacific Ocean following its launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. An anomaly was detected, the US Air Force said without elaborating further. South Korean defense officials attended the

North Korea Nov. 3, 2023

Japan has brought back 15 South Korean nationals and one foreign national family member from Israel to Tokyo on a Japanese military plane, reciprocating for the second time Korea’s rescue flight last month that included Japanese nationals. According to the Foreign Ministry in Seoul, the plane landed at Haneda International Airport on Friday evening. Aboard the aircraft are 20 Japanese nationals, four Taiwanese citizens, one Vietnamese national and their five foreign national family members

Foreign Affairs Nov. 3, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol said the country’s most popular taxi-hailing service from Kakao Mobility demonstrates an “extremely unethical example” of a monopoly, at a regular meeting Wednesday on the economy. The comments at the gathering, attended by a group of 60 ordinary people in addition to policymakers, were in response to suggestions floated by an audience member who asked about lowering the fees taxis pay to the tech giant’s mobility unit, which controls about 90 perc

Politics Nov. 1, 2023