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☆ South Korea to lend 500,000 rounds of artillery shells to US, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, April 12 (Reuters) - South Korea reached an agreement last month to lend the United States 500,000 rounds of 155 mm artillery shells that could give Washington greater flexibility to supply Ukraine with ammunition, a South Korean newspaper reported on Wednesday. The DongA Ilbo newspaper cited unnamed government sources saying that South Korea decided to "lend" the ammunition instead of selling in order to minimise the possibility of South Korean shells being used in the Ukraine conflict. It said the loaned shells would be used primarily by the United States to fill its stockpile. Having bought 100,000 rounds of the shells last year, the U.S. government had asked to buy the same amount or more in February, but the South Korean government sought another way to supply the ammunition to its ally. South Korea is a key U.S. ally and major producer of artillery ammunition, but has sought to avoid antagonising Russia in light of economic ties and Moscow's influence over North Korea.

☆ South Korea says its own companies will pay to resolve forced labor dispute with Japan
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin speaks during a briefing on March 06, 2023 in Seoul. The South Korean government announced it will no longer seek direct payment from responsible Japanese firms to compensate victims of Japan's forced wartime labor. South Korea said on Monday that its companies would compensate people forced to work under Japan's 1910-1945 occupation of Korea, in a bid to improve poor relations that have impeded trade and cooperation between the two countries. Under the plan, South Korea would compensate former forced laborers through an existing public foundation funded by private-sector companies, Foreign Minister Park Jin told a briefing. "We welcome this as a step that returns Japan-South Korea relations to a healthy one," he said.

☆ South Korea proposes public foundation to resolve forced labour dispute with Japan
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin speaks during a briefing announcing a plan on Monday to resolve a dispute over compensating people forced to work under Japan's 1910-1945 occupation of Korea, at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul, South Korea, March 6, 2023. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/PoolSEOUL, March 6 (Reuters) - South Korea announced a plan on Monday to resolve a dispute over compensating people forced to work under Japan's 1910-1945 occupation of Korea, although victims groups have expressed doubts. Under the plan, South Korea would compensate former forced labourers through a public foundation funded by private-sector companies, Foreign Minister Park Jin told a briefing. Park said that he believes the Japanese government would not prevent Japanese companies from voluntarily contributing. Reporting by Josh Smith, Soo-hyang Choi, and Ju-min Park in Seoul and Yoshifumi Takemoto in Tokyo.

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 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.

In announcing the compensation plan Monday, South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin called cooperation between South Korea and Japan ‘incredibly important.’A South Korean fund will compensate Koreans forced to work in Japan during World War II, the South Korean government said Monday, part of an arrangement with the Japanese government to resolve differences between the two U.S. allies. The rapprochement boosts U.S. efforts to foster cooperation between its allies to counter China and North Korea.

☆ Japan, South Korea foreign ministers meet on sidelines of Munich Security Conference
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Japan's foreign minister Yoshimasa Hayashi met his South Korean counterpart Park Jin on Saturday and reiterated the need for continued communications between the two countries to return to a "healthy relationship". Meeting on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, the two foreign ministers agreed to "close communications between the two countries on each diplomatic level to resolve issues of concern", a statement released by the Japanese foreign ministry said. They also had a "frank" discussion about wartime labour issues, an issue that worsened relations after a South Korean court ordered the seizure of assets of Japanese companies accused of not compensating some of their colonial-era labourers, the ministry said. Tokyo says the issue of compensation was settled under a 1965 treaty normalizing diplomatic ties and providing South Korea with economic assistance, and has warned of serious repercussions if the orders are enforced. Reporting by Sakura Murakami; editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. officials address mounting tensions between U.S. and China during Munich Security Conference
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The officials met on the margins of the Munich Security Conference, where leaders from around the world gathered to discuss geopolitical challenges. Blinken said he thinks other countries "appreciate" the fact that the United States has "exposed" China's balloon program. He told NBC there are "various kinds" of lethal aid that China is considering providing, including weapons. Blinken said China has already been aiding Russia in more diplomatic ways, but that sending lethal aid would be a significant escalation. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., also appeared at the Munich Security Conference, and he told ABC that if China does provide Russia with lethal aid, the world needs to "come down hard" on China.

☆ South Korea Foreign Minister Park touts U.S. 'extended deterrence' after Blinken talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin attend the signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding and joint news conference at the State Department in Washington, U.S. February 3, 2023. REUTERS/Jonathan ErnstWASHINGTON, Feb 3 (Reuters) - South Korea Foreign Minister Park Jin said after meeting U.S. top diplomat Antony Blinken on Friday that Seoul and Washington were committed to strengthening "extended deterrence" in relation to North Korea. South Korea has sought assurances over extended deterrence, referring to the ability of the U.S. military to deter attacks on U.S. allies, amid concerns over Pyongyang's increasing missile and nuclear capabilities. Any provocations by North Korea will be met with a firm and united response." Major car producer South Korea has sought talks with the United States over the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which excludes electric vehicles assembled outside of North America from tax credits in the United States.

[1/3] NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg shakes hands with South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin during their meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul, South Korea January 29, 2023. Kim Min-Hee/Pool via ReutersSEOUL, Jan 30 (Reuters) - NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg urged South Korea on Monday to increase military support to Ukraine, citing other countries that have changed their policy of not providing weapons to countries in conflict after Russia's invasion. Speaking at the Chey Institute for Advanced Studies in Seoul, he thanked South Korea for its non-lethal aid to Ukraine, but urged it to do more, adding there is an "urgent need" for ammunition. "I urge the Republic of Korea to continue and to step up on the specific issue of military support," he said. Last year South Korea opened its first diplomatic mission to NATO, vowing to deepen cooperation on non-proliferation, cyber defence, counter-terrorism, disaster response and other security areas.

☆ NATO's Stoltenberg arrives in S.Korea to deepen alliance's ties in Asia
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Josh Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

In Seoul, Stoltenberg is due to meet with Foreign Minister Park Jin, Minister of National Defence Lee Jong-Sup, and other senior officials, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization said in a statement. Yoon and Kishida became the first leaders from their countries to attend a NATO summit, joining alliance leaders as observers last year. Following the summit, South Korea opened its first diplomatic mission to NATO, vowing to deepen cooperation on non-proliferation, cyber defence, counter-terrorism, disaster response and other security areas. Chinese state media had warned against South Korea and Japan attending the NATO summit and criticised the alliance's broadening partnerships in Asia. North Korea has said NATO involvement in the Asia-Pacific region would import the conflict raging in Europe.

☆ South Korea calls China's visa suspension 'deeply regrettable'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, Jan 11 (Reuters) - China's recent decision to suspend the issue of short-term visas in South Korea was "deeply regrettable", the South's Foreign Minister Park Jin said on Wednesday. Tuesday's suspension by the Chinese embassy in South Korea was China's first retaliatory move against countries imposing COVID-19 curbs on its travellers. "It's deeply regrettable China took such a countermeasure by entirely suspending issuance of short-term visas," Park told a news briefing, adding that South Korea still issues visas to Chinese visitors for urgent business or humanitarian purposes. Some Chinese tourists have complained over such curbs, which are the strictest among the new rules countries have adopted, but South Korea said they were not discriminatory. "I don't think it's desirable for these measures to have any negative impact on the South Korea-China relations," Park added.

REUTERS/Tingshu WangBEIJING, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Chinese state media defended on Wednesday the retaliatory measures against South Korea and Japan over their COVID-19 travel curbs as "reasonable", while Chinese tourists decried Seoul's "insulting" treatment on social media. South Korea, Japan, the United States and more than a dozen other countries imposed at the start of the year requirements for pre-departure negative test results from visitors from China. 'INSULTING'Chinese social media anger mainly targeted South Korea, whose border measures are the strictest among the countries that announced new rules. Global Times reserved a separate article for South Korea, saying the measures made Chinese people suspicious that Seoul was putting up a "political show." Annual spending by Chinese tourists abroad reached $250 billion before the pandemic, with South Korea and Japan among the top shopping destinations.

The holiday, known before the pandemic as the world's largest annual migration of people, comes amid an escalating diplomatic spat over COVID curbs that saw Beijing introduce transit curbs for South Korean and Japanese nationals on Wednesday. The virus is spreading unchecked in China after Beijing abruptly began dismantling its previously tight curbs in early December following historic protests. Among them, South Korea and Japan have also limited flights and require tests on arrival, with passengers showing up as positive being sent to quarantine. COUNTING DEATHSSome of the governments that announced curbs on travellers from China cited concerns over Beijing's data transparency. Annual spending by Chinese tourists abroad reached $250 billion before the pandemic, with South Korea and Japan among the top shopping destinations.

☆ China halts short-term visas in South Korea, first response to COVID curbs
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING/SEOUL, Jan 10 (Reuters) - The Chinese embassy in South Korea has suspended issuing short-term visas for South Korean visitors, it said on Tuesday, the first retaliatory move against nations imposing COVID-19 curbs on travellers from China. A Chinese embassy official confirmed the new measures. South Korea's Park told Qin the new border restrictions were "science-based" measures, according to his office. Last week, South Korean police tracked down a Chinese man who went missing while awaiting quarantine after having tested positive for COVID-19 upon arrival. South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol said on Monday the country's border measures should focus strictly on the safety of its citizens.

☆ IAEA chief says to make all-out effort to stop North Korea's nuclear programme
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] Rafael Grossi (L), director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), speaks during a meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin (not pictured) at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul, South Korea December 15, 2022. Jung Yeon-je/Pool via REUTERSSEOUL, Dec 15 (Reuters) - International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi said on Thursday the IAEA would make an all-out effort to stop North Korea's nuclear programme and preserve international non-proliferation, according to South Korea's presidential office. Grossi said that he shares the international community's concern about the North Korea nuclear issue, South Korea's presidential office said. North Korea is believed to have completed preparations for the first nuclear test since 2017, according to officials from South Korea and the United States. The IAEA has not had access to North Korea since the secretive communist state expelled its inspectors in 2009.

☆ South Korea urges China to support dialogue with North Korea - S.Korea ministry
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, Dec 12 (Reuters) - South Korea's foreign minister told his Chinese counterpart on Monday the country expects China to actively support South Korea's efforts for dialogue with North Korea, South Korea's foreign ministry said. China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi told South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin in a video conference call that China will play a constructive role in the Korean peninsula issue, a ministry statement said. During the call, Park expressed concern about North Korea's actions including a record number of ballistic missile launches this year, adding North Korea must refrain from further provocations such as potential nuclear tests and engage in dialogue, the ministry added. In November, South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol in a Reuters interview urged China to help dissuade the North from pursuing banned development of nuclear weapons and missiles. China, North Korea’s closest ally, should fulfill its responsibilities as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, Yoon said, adding that not doing so would lead to an influx of military assets to the region.

☆ North Korea launches 23 missiles as Kim Jong Un climbs the 'escalation ladder'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Stella Kim | Jennifer Jett | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

North Korea's provocations on Wednesday, while highly symbolic, are "more for show than for military escalation," he told NBC News. Hours before firing its first missiles, North Korea threatened the United States and South Korea over joint military exercises continuing this week that the North considers a rehearsal for invasion. Yoon's office said the timing of the North Korean launches "clearly showed the nature of the North Korean government." Over the course of the day, North Korea fired at least 23 ballistic missiles toward the sea. But Russia and China are also wary of North Korea and its unpredictability, Foster-Carter said.

☆ S.Korea's Yoon says 'untrue' media reports damage alliance amid hot mic controversy
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol takes part in a wreath laying ceremony at the National War Memorial in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada September 23, 2022. REUTERS/Blair GableSEOUL, Sept 26 (Reuters) - South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said on Monday "untrue" media reports over his remarks threatened to damage relations with the United States after he was caught cursing on a hot mic during his visit to New York last week. read moreIn the highest profile controversy, Yoon was caught cursing on a hot mic as he left an event in New York on Wednesday after a brief chat with U.S. President Joe Biden. "What an embarrassment ... if these bastards refuse to approve it in parliament," Yoon told Foreign Minister Park Jin in a video aired by South Korean broadcasters, which went viral on social media. His press secretary, Kim Eun-hye, dismissed the allegations, saying Yoon was referring to the South Korean parliament without mentioning Biden.

☆ Gaffes, controversy overshadow S.Korea's Yoon trips to U.N., London
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Amr AlfikySEOUL, Sept 23 (Reuters) - A series of gaffes and controversies is overshadowing South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol's first major overseas tour, sending his ratings plunging and inviting scathing criticism from some lawmakers even within his own party. This week, Yoon visited London for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth and then New York in his first U.S. trip to attend the U.N. General Assembly, before arriving in Canada on Thursday. His press secretary, Kim Eun-hye, dismissed the accusation, saying Yoon was referring to the South Korean parliament without mentioning Biden. Yoon and Biden had planned informal talks in New York, but ended up having just a 48-second chat at the Global Fund. Yoon's office said that was a "Plan B" due to changes in Biden's schedule, and said they also met in London when Yoon raised the EV subsidies issue.

☆ Electric vehicles row overshadows S.Korean president's first U.S. visit
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

He will fly to Canada on Thursday for the last leg of his trip before returning home on Saturday. Seoul officials have asked Washington to postpone the new rules until Hyundai completes building its Georgia factory in 2025. A number of high-level South Korean officials have been mobilised in recent weeks to relay concerns to their U.S. counterparts and press for exemptions, though solutions are far from clear. Trade Minister Lee Chang-yang will travel to the United States this week to discuss the IRA, the ministry said on Tuesday. However, the South Korean government is focusing on bilateral dialogue for now, he said, when answering a lawmaker's question in parliament.

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