MANILA, Philippines -- North Korea would only face greater diplomatic isolation if it continues to test weapons and issue defiant statements while ditching offers of talks, South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said Tuesday. The communist state came to Manila for the ASEAN Regional Forum amid a torrent of international criticism over recent tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles which prompted the UN Security Council to adopt a fresh set of crippling sanctions Saturday.  Kang Kyung-

North Korea Aug. 8, 2017

MANILA, Philippines -- North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho on Monday declared the country would not have any negotiations on its nuclear and missile programs unless the US “fundamentally” deserts what it calls hostile policy. At the ASEAN Regional Forum in Manila, he sought to claim the legitimacy of the country’s weapons program, which he said resulted from Washington’s decades-old “nuclear blackmail” and hostile policy involving large-scale military exercises with Seoul and strategic asse

North Korea Aug. 7, 2017

MANILA, Philippines -- North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho has brushed off South Korea’s recent offer of talks as “lacking sincerity,” revealing differences in the sides’ positions over a restart of dialogue, South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said Monday. The two ministers managed to shake hands and shared a brief conversation ahead of a gala dinner Sunday for top delegates of the ASEAN Regional Forum in Manila, Seoul officials said.  South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha

North Korea Aug. 7, 2017

MANILA -- Bolstered by a new UN resolution, the foreign ministers of South Korea and the US on Sunday vowed to ensure a tighter enforcement of the sanctions and further step up pressure to dissuade North Korea from its nuclear and missile development. 　Kang Kyung-wha and Rex Tillerson held talks ahead of the ASEAN Regional Forum scheduled to kick off Monday in Manila, lauding the resolution adopted Saturday at the UN Security Council as a “good outcome.” Resolution 2371, triggered by North Korea

North Korea Aug. 6, 2017

The newly enacted US legislation is designed to further squeeze North Korea’s trade of oil, labor and other products and services in order to impede activities that may contribute to its nuclear and missile program. President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed the package bill into law, which also included sanctions against Russia and Iran. The act passed the House on July 25 and the Senate two days later in a near unanimous vote amid growing bipartisan support for tougher punishment in the afterm

North Korea Aug. 3, 2017

Swinging between armed clash and dialogue, Washington is sending out mixed messages toward North Korea as tension flares following Pyongyang’s intercontinental ballistic missile test and ahead of a major South Korea-US annual military drill. US President Donald Trump has raised the possibility of war with North Korea during a conversation with Sen. Lindsey Graham, the politician said Tuesday, floating the idea of a military strike on the communist country as a policy option. “If there’s going to

North Korea Aug. 2, 2017

The two Koreas are poised to engage in a diplomatic race at a security forum in Manila this week, with the US and Japan hardening their lines over the North’s intercontinental ballistic missile test and China and Russia seeking to downplay its impact. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum, slated for Monday in the Philippine capital, will bring together the US, China, Russia, Japan and other major powers in addition to the 10-nation Southeast Asian coalition. The region’s lar

North Korea Aug. 2, 2017

The US and China are engaging in an escalating tug of war in the wake of North Korea’s recent intercontinental ballistic missile test, shifting the blame for a flare-up of tensions and threatening to derail efforts to craft a fresh set of international sanctions. US President Donald Trump on Monday hinted at taking more crippling punitive steps against Pyongyang, saying at a cabinet meeting that the situation “will be handled.” He did not elaborate, but has been toughening his line against North

North Korea Aug. 1, 2017

Seoul’s Foreign Ministry on Monday launched a public-private task force to review a 2015 settlement on Japan’s sexual enslavement of Korean women during World War II, pledging a “victim-oriented” approach and fair reports free from political influence. The panel, chaired by former journalist Oh Tai-kyu and consisting of eight other public officials and private experts, held its first meeting after being appointed by Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha earlier in the day.  Oh Tai-kyu (center, front),

Foreign Affairs July 31, 2017

President Moon Jae-in’s approach toward North Korea with sanctions and dialogue appears to be hanging by a thread, with Pyongyang’s latest test of an intercontinental ballistic missile depleting his policy options and prompting Washington to harden its line against the unruly regime. Friday’s late-night liftoff could upset the regional security landscape, as the projectile is forecast to be capable of flying some 10,000 kilometers, placing within its strike range not just Alaska, but most of the

North Korea July 31, 2017

The US Senate on Thursday passed a fresh batch of crippling sanctions over North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, amid rising bipartisan support for further economic squeeze of Pyongyang in the wake of its recent test of an intercontinental ballistic missile. The bill was passed in a 98-2 vote, as part of a sweeping package that also includes sanctions against Russia and Iran, two days after the House approved it 419-3. The White House has given mixed signals over whether President Donald T

North Korea July 28, 2017

The UN has downgraded its assessment on Japan’s efforts to resolve the issue of wartime sex slavery, citing its failure to provide recognition of responsibility, a public apology and full reparations, documents showed Wednesday. The UN Human Rights Committee released a report monitoring Tokyo’s implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights for its regular session, scheduled for July 3-28 in Geneva, Switzerland. The panel, which consists of 18 independent internationa

Foreign Affairs July 26, 2017

Amid soaring international criticism over its nuclear and missile development, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho plans to attend a regional security forum in Manila early next month, diplomatic sources said Wednesday. Top diplomats from around the Asia Pacific will gather at the ASEAN Regional Forum, the region’s largest security conference to be hosted Aug. 7 by the 10-nation Southeast Asian bloc. The one-day gathering, which will come amid a series of other ASEAN-led meetings, is virtua

North Korea July 26, 2017

Prosecutor General nominee Moon Moo-il pledged Monday to ensure political neutrality and rebuild public trust that has been marred by what critics say are lopsided investigations into high-profile cases involving leading politicians and major corporations.  Prosecutor General nominee Moon Moo-il (Yonhap)At his parliamentary confirmation hearing, ruling and opposition lawmakers wrestled over Cheong Wa Dae’s recent disclosure of massive sheaves of documents left behind by the Park Geun-hye adminis

Social Affairs July 24, 2017

China has recently been repatriating more North Koreans seeking to resettle in the South, giving birth to a new breed of separated families and depriving them of family rights, a UN rights envoy told The Korea Herald. Tomas Ojea Quintana, the UN special rapporteur on North Korean human rights, said Beijing has been intensifying its crackdown on North Korean escapees, detaining and deporting many of them. The practice is not only fueling the risks of punishment after repatriation, but also genera

North Korea July 23, 2017