The Korea-Iran Association, a private organization established to promote bilateral exchanges and cooperation, will officially kick off this week. 　 The inaugural meeting will be held at the Iranian Embassy in Seoul at 10 a.m. on Saturday. Chun Jung-bae, a former justice minister and lawmaker, will serve as its inaugural chairman.  　 Joining the group are Song Woong-yeob, former South Korean ambassador to Iran, as well as officials from major companies and sports, culture and media figur

Foreign Affairs Oct. 21, 2020

Seoul authorities are mulling how to respond to Japan’s impending decision on discharging radioactive water from the devastated Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea, which could heighten concerns on public safety and environment here. 　 Tokyo is set to formally decide on Oct. 27 as to what to do with the more than 1 million tons of contaminated water it has collected since the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant was damaged by an earthquake and tsunami in 2011. Japanese media outlets said T

North Korea Oct. 20, 2020

Civilian tours of the demilitarized border village of Panmunjom will reopen early next month after being suspended for more than a year due to an outbreak of African swine fever, the Unification Ministry said Monday. 　 The tours of the Joint Security Area and other sites inside the Demilitarized Zone are set to begin Nov. 4 for a trial run with a limited number of visitors. The official opening will be Nov. 6, the ministry said. 　 There have been no cases of the animal disease since June in Pa

North Korea Oct. 19, 2020

North Korea said a recent Danish documentary claims to show Pyongyang bypassing international sanctions on arms trading is “fabricated” and called Denmark to find the infiltrator, according to media reports on Friday.  The North Korean Embassy in Stockholm said the documentary “is from the beginning to the end a fabricated film which aimed to cast a slur on the image of the DPRK,” Reuters reported, citing the embassy’s letter sent to Danish newspaper Ekstra Bl

North Korea Oct. 16, 2020

Seoul and Washington are on the same page over the need to declare an end to the Korean War after denuclearizing Pyongyang, Seoul’s top security adviser said, seeking to end speculation that the two sides are in dissent over the matter.  Suh Hoon, director of South Korea’s National Security Office, stressed that the formally ending the Korean War cannot be separated from the denuclearization process of North Korea, adding it was “common sense” that the two matters

North Korea Oct. 16, 2020

South Korea and the US appeared to differ over whether Seoul is ready to take over wartime operational control from Washington, casting a shadow over President Moon Jae-in’s push to regain military sovereignty by 2022. 　 The defense chiefs of the two allies held the Security Consultative Meeting in Washington on Wednesday (local time), discussing a range of issues, including the handover of wartime control, the stalled talks on defense cost-sharing and the North Korea situation. 　 At th

Defense Oct. 15, 2020

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited a typhoon-hit mining town in the eastern part of the country and pledged to build at least 25,000 new homes over the next five years, state media reported Wednesday. 　 Kim visited the Komdok area in South Hamgyong Province, one of the regions where Typhoon Maysak hit hardest last month, to inspect the recovery efforts underway, according to the Korea Central News Agency. 　 Kim said the damage to the area was more severe than he thought. He also applaud

North Korea Oct. 14, 2020

The trilateral summit planned later this year for South Korea, Japan and China is no longer a sure thing, as Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has reportedly notified Seoul he will not attend unless “proper measures” are taken to settle a feud between Seoul and Tokyo over wartime forced labor. 　 Korea’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that it would continue to work toward the trilateral summit within this year and was consulting with the other two countries. The ministry d

Foreign Affairs Oct. 13, 2020

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un watched tens of thousands of dancers and gymnasts perform at a mass spectacle held to mark the 75th anniversary of the ruling Workers’ Party’s founding, state media said Monday. 　 Kim attended the event, called the “Great Guidance,” at the May Day Stadium in Pyongyang on Sunday, according to the Korea Central News Agency. 　 The famed mass games are the North’s major propaganda event, in which tens of thousands of North Koreans take

North Korea Oct. 12, 2020

In a noteworthy moment from North Korea’s massive military parade on Saturday, where the country showcased a new intercontinental ballistic missile, national leader Kim Jong-un got emotional and teared up while recalling the adversity the country’s people had experienced. 　 Kim stood on the podium to address the nation in kicking off the military parade, which marked the 75th anniversary of the ruling Workers’ Party, in a speech that emphasized “thanking” the peop

North Korea Oct. 11, 2020

North Korea unveiled a gigantic new missile along with other weapons during a rare predawn military parade Saturday, with national leader Kim Jong-un promising to build up the country’s “war deterrence.” 　 The new weapon, which if it became operational, would be the world’s largest road-mobile, liquid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missile, was the highlight of the carefully choreographed military parade held at Kim Il-sung Square in the center of Pyongyang to mark t

North Korea Oct. 11, 2020

South Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee has advanced to the final round of two candidates in the race to become the next director general of the World Trade Organization. 　 Yoo and Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala were shortlisted as finalists in the second round of voting held from Sept. 24 to Oct. 4, the WTO and Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday. 　 The two women will now go head-to-head in the third and final round of consultations, scheduled to run from later this month unt

Foreign Affairs Oct. 8, 2020

A former North Korean diplomat, who disappeared in late 2018, came to South Korea in July last year and has lived here ever since, lawmakers revealed Wednesday.  Ruling Democratic Party Rep. Jeon Hae-cheol, who chairs the National Assembly’s intelligence committee, said Jo Song-gil, the North’s former acting Ambassador to Italy, came to South Korea voluntarily in July 2019. 　 “Jo had repeatedly expressed his wish to come to the South,” he told reporters. 　 News o

North Korea Oct. 7, 2020

South Korea and Japan have agreed to exempt South Korean business travelers from a two-week quarantine if they test negative for COVID-19, the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.  Taking effect Thursday, the eased entry barriers arrive about seven months after Tokyo slapped strict travel restrictions on Seoul, practically banning entry to people traveling from South Korea, in early March amid the coronavirus outbreak. The restrictions dealt a further blow to bilateral ties that were already fra

Foreign Affairs Oct. 6, 2020

Nearly 3,400 hacking attempts were made targeting the Foreign Ministry and its affiliate organs to steal confidential diplomatic information this year, government data showed Tuesday.  According to data submitted by the ministry to Rep. Lee Tae-kyu of the minor opposition People’s Party for a parliamentary audit, 3,399 hacking attempts against the ministry and its overseas missions had been detected as of Aug. 31.  The largest portion of the IP addresses used for the attacks c

Foreign Affairs Oct. 6, 2020