Articles by Choi Si-young
Choi Si-young
siyoungchoi@heraldcorp.com-
Ex-Marine investigator indicted for disobeying orders, defaming defense chief
South Korea’s military has indicted a former Marine investigator for disobeying the defense minister’s orders not to refer a probe into a Marine’s death to police, and for later defaming the minister by publicly suggesting that the chief had wanted to let accused generals off the hook. “The charges laid out today amount to a violation that could seriously hurt discipline and morale among troops,” military prosecutors said in a statement, adding that efforts will be
Defense Oct. 6, 2023
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S. Korea expects to expand exchanges with Japan amid thaw: FM official
South Korea is expecting fresh consultations with Japan “at many levels,” a senior Foreign Ministry official in Seoul said Friday following their high-level talks the previous day that took place after a nine-year hiatus. First Vice Foreign Minister Chang Ho-jin and his Japanese counterpart, Vice Foreign Minister Masataka Okano, met in Seoul to reaffirm their commitment to curbing the growing threat from North Korea’s nuclear weapons development -- the highest priority among th
Foreign Affairs Oct. 6, 2023
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S. Korean experts to inspect Japan water release
South Korean experts will fly to Japan to monitor the second release of treated radioactive wastewater from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear plant, set to start Thursday, the Korean government said Wednesday. “Like the first release, we will be working with the Japanese government to share real-time data on the second discharge and monitor data released by the plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company,” said Park Ku-yeon, the first deputy chief of the Office for Government Policy C
Foreign Affairs Oct. 4, 2023
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North reaffirms satellite launch plan
North Korea reaffirmed that it will launch a military reconnaissance satellite this month, the state-run Korean Central News Agency said Tuesday. The third attempt to put the satellite into orbit after two previous failures, each in May and August, could take place as early as next week when the regime marks the founding of the country’s ruling Workers’ Party. Leader Kim Jong-un has used such events to tout his achievement. The regime -- banned by United Nations Security Council reso
North Korea Oct. 3, 2023
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Trilateral talks open on Korea-Japan-China meeting
Two-day working- and senior-level talks among South Korea, Japan and China kicked off on Monday, as the three nations prepare to resume their meeting this year, after a four-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Chung Byung-won, South Korea’s deputy foreign minister, is set to meet with Takehiro Funakoshi and Nong Rong, his Japanese and Chinese counterparts, respectively, on Tuesday, following separate working-level meetings between Seoul and Tokyo, as well as Seoul and Beijing on Mond
Foreign Affairs Sept. 25, 2023
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Yoon pushes for Xi’s visit to firm up ties with China
The presidential office said Sunday that it will lead efforts to facilitate a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping, a day after the Chinese leader said he will “seriously consider it” during talks with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo held on the sidelines of the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. The dialogue, which took place hours ahead of the games’ opening ceremony, centered on bolstering exchanges, an agreement reached earlier this month when President Yoon Suk Yeol met with Chi
Politics Sept. 24, 2023
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Xi says he will consider S. Korea visit
Chinese President Xi Jinping said Saturday he will consider visiting South Korea for a potential summit with President Yoon Suk Yeol, at a meeting with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who is visiting the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou for the opening of the Asian Games. A senior official in Seoul with direct knowledge of the Saturday meeting said Xi brought up the issue of a leader-level visit. “It was the Chinese leader who floated it first, which means he knows well it’s his turn to
Foreign Affairs Sept. 23, 2023
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[Top Envoy] ‘Don’t look back anymore’: former envoy on S. Korea-Japan thaw
The Korea Herald publishes a series of interviews with South Korea’s former and current top diplomats who have played a central role in shaping the country’s foreign policies to confront the complexities of an increasingly contested international order while managing its historical relationships with allies and neighbors, for lasting peace beyond the Korean Peninsula. This is the first installment. -- Ed When Shin Kak-soo, South Korea’s former ambassador to Japan, supported e
Foreign Affairs Sept. 20, 2023
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Australian wife of Korean War veteran to be buried beside husband
The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs said Wednesday that it will bury the Australian wife of an Australian Korean War veteran next to her husband at the UN Memorial Cemetery in Busan. The burial ceremony, which the Australian Embassy in Seoul will hold the next day, came four years after Olwyn Green died at 96, leaving behind her wishes that she be reunited with her husband, Lt. Col. Charles Green. The COVID-19 pandemic had prompted the wait. Green, commanding officer of the 3rd battali
North Korea Sept. 20, 2023
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South Korea frees Iran funds
The South Korean government confirmed Tuesday that it had transferred to Qatar Iranian funds frozen in South Korean banks under US sanctions, as part of a prisoner swap deal that led to the US and Iran releasing five of each other’s detainees. Tehran’s access to $6 billion in oil revenue had been frozen since May 2019, when Washington, after scrapping the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran, stepped up pressure to block hard currency from flowing into the Middle Eastern country. “
Foreign Affairs Sept. 19, 2023
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Allies say Kim, Putin will pay price for military cooperation
Senior South Korean Foreign and Defense Ministry officials and their US counterparts said Friday North Korea and Russia will pay the price for military cooperation because it violates United Nations Security Council resolutions, urging Moscow to live up to its role as a permanent UNSC member. “The alliance of South Korea and the US is stronger than ever. The Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group meeting today where we discussed issues in depth will make the alliance more powe
Foreign Affairs Sept. 15, 2023
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Room for Seoul-Beijing engagement growing
The summit Wednesday between North Korea and Russia, heightening concerns over potential arms deals involving the war in Ukraine, has left room for South Korea to actively engage with China, appealing to its reluctance to back the grinding conflict that is facing growing international pressure, according to experts on Thursday. China, a country that unlike the North has largely distanced itself from endorsing Russia’s war, has so far said little of the meeting that came for the first time
Foreign Affairs Sept. 14, 2023
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China says Kim-Putin talks are about their own ties
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that the talks between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin have to do with their own ties, adding that the Beijing-Pyongyang relationship remains friendly. “Kim’s visit to Russia is what the two countries have agreed and ... (it is about) their relations,” spokesperson Mao Ning said at a press briefing, referring to the talks held hours earlier at the Vostochny Сosmodrome in the far eastern Amur region
Foreign Affairs Sept. 13, 2023
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UN rights expert pins hopes on NK’s border easing
North Korea’s recent decision to slowly lift border shutdowns could help the isolated country re-engage with United Nations bodies on human rights, a UN rights expert said Monday on the last day of her trip to Seoul that started Monday last week. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, the North had kept its borders sealed, expelling rights and aid groups. Pyongyang last month approved the return of its citizens overseas. “I hope that the DPRK will restart its engagem
North Korea Sept. 12, 2023
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S. Korea plans to send quake aid for Morocco
South Korea is planning to send aid to help Morocco recover from its deadliest earthquake in more than six decades, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Monday, a day after President Yoon Suk Yeol spoke of supporting the North African kingdom. “We will provide aid matching our status on the international stage,” a senior Foreign Ministry official said in a statement, adding the government first needs to see what kind of support Morocco wants, including a team of relief workers. The 6
Foreign Affairs Sept. 11, 2023
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