How President Park Geun-hye will be treated during her visit to the U.S. this week is drawing keen attention as it comes at a delicate juncture when she should show strong unity with the U.S. against North Korea and dispel the growing impression that Seoul is tilting toward Beijing.President Park Geun-hye shakes hands with Saenuri Party leader Kim Moo-sung before boarding the presidential plane at the Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, on Tuesday. (Yonhap)Like her visit to the U.S. in

Foreign Affairs Oct. 13, 2015

This is the first installment in a series of interviews with renowned scholars and experts on China as a resurgent Asian power triggering shifts in the regional order. This installment analyzes the evolution of China’s foreign policy. -- Ed.　By Song Sang-ho　Chinese President Xi Jinping has forged a new institutional mechanism to enable him to ease the constraints of the country’s collective leadership structure and take control of foreign policy, a China expert said. Kim Heung-kyu, political sci

Foreign Affairs Oct. 13, 2015

PARIS ― As a city where 2 million residents coexist with several million visitors and an average of 28 million commutes are made every day, Paris, like many other metropolitan cities, considers tackling air pollution and emissions as a top priority to solving public health issues.  A replica of Clichy-Batignolles Lee Hyun-jeong/The Korea HeraldAccording to the City of Paris, several millions of residents in the French capital and its surrounding areas were found to have been exposed to particles

National Oct. 11, 2015

A South Korean environment policy professor was elected to lead a U.N. panel on climate change, Seoul's Foreign Ministry said Wednesday, touting the election as an opportunity to enhance the nation's influence in the global efforts to tackle environmental challenges.  Lee Hoe-sung, professor at Korea University’s Graduate School of Energy and Environment Policy and Technology, will succeed Rajendra Pachauri from India as the sixth chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Lee Ho

Foreign Affairs Oct. 7, 2015

Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se (right) speaks with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken before a meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul. (Yonhap)North Korea is unlikely to launch a rocket Saturday to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers’ Party, Seoul officials and experts said Tuesday, noting that there were no signs yet of Pyongyang’s preparations for any imminent launch.The prediction came as Seoul has been stepping up diplomacy to prevent the communist regim

North Korea Oct. 6, 2015

The nation’s top intelligence agency is considering filing a complaint with the prosecution against its former chief as he appears to have revealed confidential information he obtained during his leadership from 2006-2008.Former NIS chief Kim Man-bok (Yonhap)Last week, Kim Man-bok, who led the National Intelligence Service during the former Roh Moo-hyun administration, disclosed in a media interview that Roh and former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il were able to talk with each other at anytime

North Korea Oct. 4, 2015

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman-nominee Lee Sun-jin was playing golf on Aug. 9 when North Korea was reported to have carried out a landmine provocation that wounded two South Korean troops, an opposition lawmaker revealed Sunday.JCS Chairman-nominee Lee Sun-jin (Yonhap)Kim Kwang-jin of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy, criticized his golfing on the day as an “inappropriate” act, raising the question of whether he could perform well in the military’s top position.“While he w

Defense Oct. 4, 2015

South Korea plans to complete its development and deployment of a ballistic missile with a range of 800 kilometers by 2017, as it seeks to counter the evolving nuclear and missile threats posed by North Korea.Military sources said that the state-run Agency for Defense Development had put forward the plan in its five-year policy outline, which was adopted right after the Park Geun-hye administration assumed office in February 2013.“Currently, we have developed ballistic missiles with a range of u

Defense Oct. 1, 2015

The exchange Sunday of seemingly amicable greetings between the leaders of South Korea and Japan has further boosted the prospect of a bilateral summit that has yet to be held amid territorial and historical conflicts. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks at a U.N. General Assembly session on Monday. (Yonhap)During a brief encounter with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ahead of a luncheon at the U.N. headquarters in New York, President Park Geun-hye expressed her hope that they can meet

Foreign Affairs Sept. 29, 2015