Japanese authorities are undecided on how and when to discharge radioactive water from the devastated Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea or air, amid heightened environmental and public safety concerns from its neighboring countries, including South Korea.  “The exact timing on when the government will decide on the method and the period is yet to be decided,” said a Japanese government official Wednesday.  “We are still evaluating the situation. But it’s t

Foreign Affairs March 3, 2021

Signs of activity have recently been detected at some North Korean nuclear facilities, the UN nuclear watchdog chief said Monday, expressing “serious concern” at the reclusive regime’s continued activities. 　 Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told the board of governors that there was evidence that the regime has continued construction at an experimental light-water reactor at its main Yongbyon nuclear complex, including testing of the

North Korea March 2, 2021

The “comfort women” issue has come to the fore again in the lingering feud between Seoul and Tokyo. The two neighbors were seen locking horns at the United Nations Human Rights Council last week; separately, a South Korean victim of Japanese military sexual slavery pleaded with Seoul and Tokyo to take the thorny issue to the International Court of Justice for a resolution.  Lee Yong-soo, one of the survivors, called for the matter to be settled in the UN’s highest court

International Feb. 28, 2021

Park Ji-hyun still remembers the feeling when she first arrived in the UK in 2008. Having fled repression and poverty in North Korea and human trafficking in China, she was glad to find a refuge, but also nervous to start a new life thousands of kilometers away from home.   　 “Many people welcomed me when I got here,” Park told The Korea Herald in a recent interview via Zoom. “Back then, I couldn’t fully grasp the meaning of the word ‘welcome,’ but just

North Korea Feb. 27, 2021

The South Korean Foreign Ministry on Tuesday said unfreezing Iranian assets held in Korean banks would require prior approval from the US, denying Tehran’s claim that a deal had already been reached.  　 On Monday, Tehran announced that the two sides had reached an agreement on transferring the frozen Iranian assets to their desired destinations, during a discussion between Central Bank of Iran Gov. Abdolnaser Hemmati and Korean Ambassador to Iran Ryu Jeong-hyun. 　 According to the

Foreign Affairs Feb. 23, 2021

A controversy surrounding a Harvard professor who wrote a journal article depicting victims of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery as voluntary prostitutes continues to escalate, with scholars, politicians and students demanding apologies and a retraction. 　 In the paper, titled “Contracting for sex in the Pacific War” and published online in the International Review of Law and Economics, Mark Ramseyer, Mitsubishi professor of Japanese legal studies at Harvard Law School, argued t

Foreign Affairs Feb. 21, 2021

Jo Yong-won, newly appointed secretary of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers’ Party in North Korea, was in the spotlight during the latest key party meeting, which ended last week. 　 The 64-year-old strongly rebuked senior officials -- some of whom are older than him -- for their “passiveness and self-protectionism” in setting policy goals, and warned that the party will not tolerate those who neglect their duties, according to the party’s official newspaper Ro

North Korea Feb. 17, 2021

North Korea’s trade with countries other than its largest trading partner China plunged last year due to the regime’s border closure to stave off a COVID-19 outbreak has dealt a heavy blow to its economy already struggling with international sanctions. 　 Some 13 countries reported trading with North Korea last year, bringing in a total volume of $13.09 million, down by one third from $35.16 million in 2019, Voice of America reported Tuesday based on data disclosed by the Internatio

North Korea Feb. 16, 2021

South Korea and the US are inching toward a conclusion to their stalled negotiations on the defense cost-sharing agreement that governs the 28,500 US troops stationed here, according to media reports. 　 The two countries could be “just weeks away” from clinching a deal, CNN reported last week, citing multiple sources. The deal would likely be a multiyear agreement that increases Korea’s contribution by 13 percent from the previous accord -- the same figure Seoul suggested as

Foreign Affairs Feb. 15, 2021

Over the past few years, North Korea policy has not featured human rights on the front burner -- either in Seoul or in Washington.  This is because the North’s human rights situation, despite its direness, was viewed as a less pressing issue than the security threats posed by Pyongyang with its ever-expanding nuclear and missile programs. Furthermore, both former US President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in had refrained from addressing rights abuses -- whic

North Korea Feb. 13, 2021

New Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong on Tuesday voiced confidence in working together with the US on North Korea’s nuclear issue, highlighting that the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is a shared goal between the two allies.  “Achieving complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula at an earliest date is a shared goal between the US and South Korea, Chung told reporters after taking office earlier in the day. “Therefore, I believe coordinating opinio

North Korea Feb. 9, 2021

President Moon Jae-in appointed Chung Eui-yong as his new foreign minister on Monday, Cheong Wa Dae announced.   　 Chung, former director of national security at Cheong Wa Dae, will begin his tenure Tuesday. He replaces Kang Kyung-wha, the nation’s first female foreign minister and the longest-serving minister in Moon’s Cabinet.   　 Earlier in the day, the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee of the National Assembly, in which the ruling Democratic Party holds a maj

Foreign Affairs Feb. 8, 2021

  The Unification Ministry on Sunday tapped Lee Jong-joo, director-general of humanitarian cooperation bureau, as the ministry’s first female spokesperson.  With the appointment, she became the first woman to hold the position since the ministry, in charge of inter-Korean affairs, was established in 1969.  The ministry said Lee has been recognized for her competence, having worked in the ministry’s key divisions and various posts across the government. It expects Le

North Korea Feb. 7, 2021

North Korea is set to convene a meeting of top ruling party officials to finalize policy plans for this year set forth at last month’s Workers’ Party congress, state media said Sunday.   　 The second plenary meeting of the eighth Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea will take place within the first 10 days of this month, according to the official Korea Central News Agency. The state media did not specify an exact date in the report, but considering the disclo

North Korea Feb. 7, 2021

Iran agreed on Tuesday to free the 19 crew members of a South Korean oil tanker that was seized a month ago, but it is uncertain when the sailors will return home.  Tehran has not yet released the ship or its captain, who is to remain in Iranian custody until the investigation into what the country has described as a breach of its environmental pollution laws is completed.   According to the operator of the MT Hankuk Chemi, at least 13 sailors are required to be on board th

Foreign Affairs Feb. 3, 2021