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☆ Blinken supports efforts toward "mature" China-South Korea ties - S.Korea ministry
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, June 17 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he supports South Korea's efforts to develop a "healthy and mature" cooperative relationship with China, South Korea's foreign ministry said on Saturday. Blinken, who arrives in Beijing on Sunday for the highest-level visit by an official of President Joe Biden's administration, discussed bilateral relations, relations between China and South Korea, and North Korea in a call with South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin on Saturday, the ministry said in a statement. Blinken and Park strongly condemned what they consider North Korea's repeated provocations, the ministry said, and agreed the U.S., South Korea and Japan should continue to urge China to play a constructive role in the U.N. Security Council on denuclearisation. Blinken said on Friday the trip was aimed at establishing "open and empowered" communications. Reporting by Joyce Lee; Editing by William MallardOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Blinken, Joe Biden's, Jin, Joyce Lee, William Mallard Organizations: South Korean Foreign, . Security, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, China, South, Beijing, South Korea, North Korea, U.S, Japan, denuclearisation, Washington

☆ South Korean leader criticises China envoy over "inappropriate" remarks
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SEOUL, June 13 (Reuters) - South Korea's president stepped up criticism of China's ambassador on Tuesday, saying the envoy had been disrespectful in suggesting South Korea had made the wrong choice by siding with the United States against China. South Korea's foreign ministry summoned Xing on Friday to issue a protest and express "strong regret" over comments that the ministry said were "provocative" and a possible interference in internal affairs. South Korea has been a staunch U.S. ally for decades and is host to nearly some 28,000 U.S. troops but it has developed extensive economic ties with China in recent years. Its foreign ministry called in South Korea's ambassador on Saturday to express its "serious concern and dissatisfaction" over Seoul's "improper reaction" to Xing's comment. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said challenges in relations with South Korea were "not caused by China".

Persons: Xing Haiming, Xing, Yoon Suk Yeol, Yoon, Kim Seok, Park Jin, Xing's, Park, Hyonhee Shin, hyang Choi, Ed Davies, Robert Birsel Organizations: South, Foreign, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, South Korea, United States, China, U.S, South, North Korea, Korea, South Korea's, Vienna

☆ S.Korea summons Chinese ambassador over reaction to Yoon's Taiwan remarks
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The move came after China and South Korea exchanged harsh words over Yoon's comments in a recent interview with Reuters. "The Taiwan issue is not simply an issue between China and Taiwan but, like the issue of North Korea, it is a global issue." Asked about Yoon's comments, the Chinese foreign ministry denounced Yoon and called on South Korea to "prudently handle matters" related to Taiwan. Hours later, South Korea's foreign ministry hit back and said comments by the Chinese foreign ministry were "unspeakable". A vice foreign minister called in Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming and strongly protested what South Korea called "diplomatic discourtesy", the South Korean foreign ministry said in a statement.

☆ Most Korean plaintiffs in Japan forced-labour cases accept Seoul's compensation plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"The bereaved families of 10 victims expressed hope that this issue be promptly resolved, and agreed to accept the compensation under the government plan," the foreign ministry said in a statement. South Korea will continue efforts to seek understanding from the victims and their families, the ministry added. The South Korean proposal has been hailed as "groundbreaking" by U.S. President Joe Biden following a deterioration in Japanese-South Korean relations to the lowest point for decades in the wake of the 2018 rulings. The March announcement was followed by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's visit to Tokyo for a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. The two leaders agreed to put aside their countries' difficult shared history and work together to counter regional security challenges.

[1/2] A Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is launched at Pyongyang International Airport, in Pyongyang, North Korea February 18, 2023 in this photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). She also hinted that the North could fire more missiles into the Pacific Ocean. The United States and its allies have never shot down North Korean ballistic missiles, which are banned by the United Nations Security Council, but the question drew new scrutiny since the North suggested it will fire more missiles over Japan. The United states deployed the B-52 bomber for a joint drill with South Korean fighter jets, in what South Korea's defence ministry said was a show of force against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats. Around 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea as a legacy of the 1950-1953 Korean War, which ended in an armistice, rather than a peace treaty, leaving the countries technically at war.

☆ South Korea proposes to compensate victims of Japan's forced labour through its public foundation
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

SEOUL, March 6 (Reuters) - South Korea's foreign minister, Park Jin, said on Monday the government plans to compensate victims of Japan's wartime forced labour through its own public foundation, instead of using funds from Japanese companies, in a move aimed at improving soured relations between the two countries. The dispute over colonial-era forced labour has been a source of dispute between the U.S. allies, overshadowing the neighbours' political and trade relations for years. Reporting by Soo-hyang Choi; Editing by Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ US flies B-52 in joint drill with S.Korea - S.Korea defence ministry
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Air Force/Handout via REUTERSSEOUL, March 6 (Reuters) - The United states deployed a B-52 bomber for a joint drill with its ally South Korea on Monday, in a show of force against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, South Korea's defence ministry said. North Korea has traditionally called for those joint exercises to be called off, branding them as a prelude to invasion. With denuclearisation talks stalled, North Korea conducted a record number of missile launches last year. As South Korea has lifted anti-COVID measures, the allies are returning to large-scale drills. South Korea and the United States will achieve "peace through strength" by stepping up joint drills, the ministry in Seoul said in a statement.

Under the plan, South Korea would compensate former forced labourers through an existing public foundation funded by private-sector companies, South Korea's Foreign Minister Park Jin told a briefing. SOUTH KOREAN FUNDSRelations plunged to their lowest point in decades after South Korea's Supreme Court in 2018 ordered Japanese firms to pay reparations to former forced labourers. Overall there are fewer than 1,300 living victims of forced labour in South Korea, according to media estimates. The South Korean companies include KT&G (033780.KS), Korea Electric Power Corp (KEPCO) (015760.KS) and other companies that benefited from a 1965 treaty between South Korea and Japan. Asked whether Japanese companies would pitch in to compensate, Park said both Japanese and South Korean businesses were considering a plan to contribute.

☆ South Korea, Japan near landmark deal on wartime labour dispute - media
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The labour dispute and one over women forced into Japanese military brothels have bedevilled ties between the two pivotal U.S. allies for years. South Korea's foreign ministry, asked about the reported agreement, said negotiations were ongoing. The row spilled over into a trade dispute. 'VOLUNTARY' FUND, SUMMITSeoul unveiled a plan in January to compensate former forced labourers through a South Korean public foundation. The fund would be jointly formed by the Federation of Korean Industries, South Korea's big business lobby, and its Japanese counterpart, Keidanren, the report said.

☆ North Korea says UN should demand end to S.Korea-US military drills
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, March 5 (Reuters) - North Korea's foreign ministry on Sunday called on the United Nations to demand an immediate halt to combined military drills by the United States and South Korea, saying they were raising tensions that threaten to spiral out of control. The United States and South Korea will conduct more than 10 days of large-scale military exercises in March, including amphibious landings, officials from the two countries said on Friday. The U.S. and South Korea say the exercises are in self-defence and are necessary to counter the rising threats from North Korea's ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programmes, which are banned by U.N. Security Council resolutions. "The UN and the international community will have to strongly urge the U.S. and South Korea to immediately halt their provocative remarks and joint military exercises," Kim said. Last month Kim issued a statement saying UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has been "extremely unfair, unbalanced" on North Korea's missile tests.

☆ Analysis: How North Korea could use a Pacific 'firing range' to perfect its missiles
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Josh Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) on Monday, after firing a massive Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Saturday. So far North Korea has fired three variants of the Hwasong-12 intermediate range ballistic missiles (IRBMs) over Japan and into the Pacific Ocean. "As soon as it is out of range, or if it crosses below the horizon, North Korea will be blind." Schiller said he is not aware of any tracking vessels that North Korea positions along the flight path, and for now it doesn't have data relay satellites. If those two conditions are met, then North Korea will have fully demonstrated its deterrence capability against the United States, he said.

☆ North Korea may try to pressure U.S. with ICBM, nuclear tests - S.Korean lawmakers
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] A Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is launched at Pyongyang International Airport, in Pyongyang, North Korea February 18, 2023 in this photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). KCNA via REUTERSSEOUL, Feb 22 (Reuters) - North Korea could test-fire intercontinental ballistic missiles on a lower, longer trajectory and conduct its seventh nuclear test this year to perfect its weapons capabilities, South Korean lawmakers said on Wednesday, citing intelligence officials. The briefing came as the U.S., South Korean and Japanese navies staged joint tactical drills on Wednesday in waters between the Asian neighbours. A Japanese escort vessel and U.S. and South Korean destroyers joined the training aimed at stepping up trilateral ballistic missile responses, Tokyo's defence ministry said. Youn Kun-young, another member of the committee, said North Korea might also develop solid fuel-based ICBMs this year, and confirmed the defence ministry's report that Chinese spy balloons did not enter South Korean airspace.

☆ Kim Jong Un abruptly reappears after 36 days out of the spotlight and orders North Korea to 'prepare for war'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Kim Jong Un had not been seen in public for 36 days, fueling speculation about his health. But North Korea's leader attended a meeting with military officials on Monday, reports said. He was discussing war strategies as tensions rise around the Korean peninsula, the reports said. Kim's Jong Un's longest-ever break from the spotlight was in 2014, when he was not seen for 40 days. Tensions have been rising around the Korean Peninsula after Pyongyang condemned planned joint military drills between its rival, South Korea, and the US in the area.

☆ U.S. says joint drills in the region do not serve to provoke North Korea
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

The White House on Wednesday rejected North Korean accusations that joint military exercises in the region are a provocation and said the United States has no hostile intent toward Pyongyang. "We have made clear we have no hostile intent toward the DPRK (North Korea) and seek serious and sustained diplomacy to address the full range of issues of concern to both countries and the region," said a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council. The White House comment came after North Korea's Foreign Ministry said that drills by the United States and its allies have pushed the situation to an "extreme red-line" and threaten to turn the peninsula into a "huge war arsenal and a more critical war zone." The statement, carried by state news agency KCNA, said Pyongyang was not interested in dialog as long as Washington pursues hostile policies.

☆ White House: U.S. has no hostile intent toward North Korea
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - The White House on Wednesday rejected North Korean accusations that joint military exercises in the region are a provocation and said the United States has no hostile intent toward Pyongyang. "We have made clear we have no hostile intent toward the DPRK (North Korea) and seek serious and sustained diplomacy to address the full range of issues of concern to both countries and the region," said a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council. The White House statement reiterated a U.S. willingness "to meet with DPRK representatives at a time and place convenient for them." "We reject the notion that our joint exercises with partners in the region serve as any sort of provocation. "The United States is continuing to work closely with allies and partners to ensure peace and stability in the region.

☆ North Korea says U.S. drills have pushed situation to 'extreme red-line' -KCNA
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Josh Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, Feb 2 (Reuters) - North Korea's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that joint drills by the United States and its allies have pushed the situation to an "extreme red-line" and threaten to turn the peninsula into a "huge war arsenal and a more critical war zone." "This is a vivid expression of the U.S. dangerous scenario which will result in turning the Korean peninsula into a huge war arsenal and a more critical war zone," the North Korean statement said. More than 28,500 American troops are based in South Korea as a legacy of the 1950-1953 Korean War, which ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty. Last year, North Korea conducted a record number of ballistic missile tests, which are banned by United Nations Security Council resolutions. "The combined air drills this time show the U.S.' will and capabilities to provide strong and credible extended deterrence against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats," the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

☆ Japan eyes easing S.Korea export controls as Seoul seeks to improve ties -media
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Kantaro Komiya | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Japan is considering relaxing controls on exports to South Korea as its president, Yoon Suk-yeol, seeks to improve ties amid a strained East Asian security environment, the Sankei newspaper reported on Saturday. Japan's foreign ministry and trade ministry officials were not immediately available for comment on the report when Reuters contacted them outside regular business hours. "Given the growing need to promote cooperation among countries sharing universal values at a time when the importance of economic security is increasing, we hope that Japan will judge wisely," the South Korean ministry said. Their diplomatic officials are due to meet on Monday in the South Korean capital, Seoul, as they near a conclusion of a plan for the resolving their dispute, Jiji news reported on Friday. Reporting by Kantaro Komiya; Additional reporting by Joyce Lee in Seoul; Editing by William Mallard, Robert BirselOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

WASHINGTON, Jan 26 (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday stepped up sanctions against the Wagner Group, labeling the Russian mercenary company fighting in Ukraine as a transnational criminal organization responsible for widespread human rights abuses. The U.S. Treasury Department, as part of action targeting dozens of people and entities in an effort to degrade Russia's ability to wage the war, said it designated Wagner Group as a "significant transnational criminal organization" on Thursday. It had previously designated Wagner under its Russia and Ukraine sanctions programs. "These images were gathered in order to enable Wagner combat operations in Ukraine," Treasury said. He said the United States assesses Wagner has about 50,000 personnel deployed to Ukraine, including 40,000 convicts recruited from Russian prisons.

☆ Russia's Wagner chief writes to White House over new U.S. sanctions
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 21 (Reuters) - The head of the Russian private military contractor Wagner published on Saturday a short letter to the White House asking what crime his company was accused of, after Washington announced new sanctions on the group. White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said on Friday that Wagner, which has been supporting Russian forces in their invasion of Ukraine and claiming credit for battlefield advances, would be designated a significant Transnational Criminal Organization. Kirby called Wagner "a criminal organization that is committing widespread atrocities and human rights abuses". Last month, the White House said Wagner had taken delivery of an arms shipment from North Korea to help bolster Russian forces in Ukraine. Washington had already imposed curbs on trade with Wagner in 2017 and again in December in an attempt to restrict its access to weaponry.

REUTERS/Igor Russak/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Jan 20 (Reuters) - The United States will impose additional sanctions next week against Russian private military company the Wagner Group, which U.S. officials say has been helping Russia's military in the Ukraine war, the White House said on Friday. White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said the U.S. Treasury Department will designate Wagner as a significant Transnational Criminal Organization. Wagner owner Yevgeny Prigozhin last month denied taking delivery of arms from North Korea and characterized the report as "gossip and speculation." Kirby said Russian President Vladimir Putin has been increasingly turning to Wagner for military support, causing some tensions in Moscow. "Wagner is becoming a rival power center to the Russian military and other Russian ministries."

☆ South Korea, Iran summon each other's envoys as spat over Yoon remarks deepens
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SEOUL, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Iran and South Korea summoned each other's envoys in a deepening spat over comments by South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol that described the Islamic republic as the enemy of the United Arab Emirates. Yoon, speaking to South Korean troops stationed in Abu Dhabi earlier this week, said South Korea and the UAE are under "very similar" circumstances, each facing North Korea and Iran as "the enemy, biggest threat." Relations between Seoul and Tehran had already been testy over frozen Iranian funds in South Korea and suspected arms dealings between Iran and North Korea. Iran has repeatedly demanded the release of some $7 billion of its funds frozen in South Korean banks under U.S. sanctions. South Korea was once one of Iran's biggest crude buyers in Asia, but ceased imports after Washington imposed sanctions on Tehran in 2018.

☆ South Korea hints at compensating victims of Japan's colonial forced labour
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The Foundation for Victims of Forced Mobilization by Imperial Japan said it has secured initial donations from steelmaker POSCO (005490.KS) totalling 4 billion won ($3.2 million). Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, Tokyo’s top spokesperson, declined to comment on Seoul’s compensation plan or its public hearing, saying they were domestic matters within South Korea. The foundation's chief, Shim Kyu-sun, said he would encourage South Korean companies to donate "from the perspective of social responsibility". National flags of South Korea and Japan are displayed during a meeting between Komeito Party members and South Korean lawmakers at Komeito Party's headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, July 31, 2019. Under the 1965 deal, South Korea was required to consider all pre-treaty compensation issues settled.

☆ U.N. chief says onus on North Korea to return to talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

North Korea has been subject to U.N. sanctions since 2006 over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. So-called six-party denuclearization talks - between North Korea, South Korea, China, the United States, Russia and Japan - stalled in 2009. "The onus is on the DPRK to comply with its international obligations and return to the negotiating table," said Guterres, using North Korea's formal name. The United States has said that its up to North Korea to decide whether it will engage in talks on its nuclear weapons program. North Korea has rebuffed U.S. entreaties for diplomacy since President Joe Biden succeeded Trump in January 2021.

☆ Canada condemns N.Korean arms sale to Russia's Wagner Group -statement
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

OTTAWA, Dec 23 (Reuters) - Canada on Friday condemned what it said were North Korean arms deliveries to Russia, saying Pyongyang's transaction with the private military company the Wagner Group "clearly violates international law and United Nations Security Council resolutions." "We will continue to work with international partners to address these developments and respond to further arms deliveries should they take place," Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said in a statement. North Korea's foreign ministry, in a statement, has denied that it has supplied munitions to Russia but did not make any mention of Wagner. The United States on Thursday said North Korea had completed an initial arms delivery to the Wagner Group to help bolster Russian forces in Ukraine, confirming news first reported by Reuters. Reporting by Steve Scherer in Ottawa; writing by Susan Heavey; Editing by Andrew HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ North Korea fires missile amid tension over Russia arms aid
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A North Korean flag flies above the North Korean embassy in Beijing on February 12, 2013. North Korea fired two ballistic missiles toward the sea off its east coast on Friday, the South Korean military said, the latest in an unprecedented number of missile tests this year. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the missiles were fired from the Sunan area of North Korean capital Pyongyang. Pyongyang's foreign ministry on Friday also denied a Japanese media report on munitions shipments to Russia, calling it "groundless". Tokyo Shimbun reported that North Korea had shipped artillery shells and other munitions to Russia via train last month, with additional shipments expected in coming weeks.

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