Relations between the United States and Germany veered further toward crisis on Tuesday as President Donald Trump complained about the US trade deficit with Germany and said it must pay more for the NATO military alliance.His censure follows a volley of criticism from Germany after the president concluded his first official tour abroad on Sunday, returning from Saudi Arabia, Israel, Brussels and then Italy for a G7 summit."We have a MASSIVE trade deficit with Germany, plus they pay FAR LESS than

World News May 30, 2017

South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday voiced hope for continued cooperation with the Netherlands in resolving the North Korean nuclear issue, his office said.In a phone conversation with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Moon said he hopes for "continued strategic communication and cooperation" against the North's nuclear weapons program, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Park Soo-hyun.Moon also congratulated Rutte on the success of his People's Party for Freedom and Democracy in the D

Foreign Affairs May 30, 2017

The daughter of the woman at the centre of a corruption scandal that led to the ousting of South Korea's president will return home Wednesday from Denmark, officials said.Chung Yoo-Ra, 20, will be "immediately put into custody" when she arrives at Incheon airport after being extradited from Denmark, a justice ministry spokesman said.The ministry sent five officials to Denmark on Monday to accompany her home, he said. Chung is the only child of Choi Soon-Sil, the close confidante of former Presid

Social Affairs May 30, 2017

South Korean President Moon Jae-in will meet with former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon later this week to share views on South Korea-U.S. ties ahead of his first summit with Donald Trump, an official said Tuesday.Moon and Ban are scheduled to meet at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae on Friday, a day after the former South Korean foreign minister returns home, according to the Cheong Wa Dae official."It's true that (the two) are scheduled to meet in line with former Secretary-General Ba

Politics May 30, 2017

South Korea's presidential office made it clear Tuesday that it has not received any formal briefing from the defense ministry on the presence of additional THAAD rocket launchers here.The ministry said it has already briefed Cheong Wa Dae on the issue, responding to President Moon Jae-in's call for a probe into the matter related to the allies' missile defense system.Moon said it's "very shocking" that the ministry had kept secret or did not announce the introduction of four more THAAD rocket l

Politics May 30, 2017

The leaders of South Korea and Japan agreed Tuesday on the need for more sanctions and pressure on North Korea, saying now is not the time for dialogue with the recalcitrant state, according to the South's presidential office.South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe reached the conclusion during a 20-minute phone conversation one day after the North's new ballistic missile test, Moon's spokesman Park Soo-hyun said."I agree with the prime minister's words that no

Foreign Affairs May 30, 2017

Turkey has blocked a request for German lawmakers to visit their country's soldiers at the Incirlik air base, the German government said Monday, increasing the possibility that it might relocate planes supporting the campaign against the Islamic State group. Germany has about 270 troops at the base. The refusal was communicated to Germany's ambassador over the weekend, Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer told reporters. He said Turkey indicated the refusal was tied to Germany's decision t

World News May 15, 2017

The first-quarter earnings of credit card companies in South Korea jumped 59.9 percent from a year earlier due mainly to one-off factors, the country's financial regulator said Monday. The combined net profit of eight credit card firms, including Shinhan Card Co. and Lotte Card Co., came to 803.7 billion won ($718.5 million) in the January-March period, compared to 502.5 billion won the previous year, according to the Financial Supervisory Service.The stronger bottom line came as a few of t

Market May 15, 2017