South Korea’s Lee urges quick ratification of stalled US-South Korean free trade deal

September 21st, 2009 SKorea head proposes 'grand bargain'NEW YORK — South Korean President Lee Myung-bak proposed a "grand bargain" Monday to restart disarmament negotiations and end North Korea's nuclear arms program. Lee's proposal called for giving the North economic and political incentives, including a security guarantee, the Yonhap news agency reported.

September 20th, 2009 SKorea sends team to NKorea for family reunionsSEOUL, South Korea — South Korean officials headed Monday to North Korea to prepare for a new round of reunion visits for families separated by the Korean War, amid easing tensions on the divided peninsula. The 10-member team will work with North Korean officials to check the hotel, communication lines and other details of the six days of reunions at the North's Diamond Mountain resort, Seoul's Unification Ministry spokesman Chun Hae-sung said.

August 27th, 2009 SKorea wants regular reunions of divided familiesSEOUL, South Korea — South Korea is proposing regular reunions of families separated by the Korean War during meetings between officials of the two Koreas held this week amid signs of easing tension on the peninsula, a spokesman said Thursday. The three days of talks, which opened at North Korea's Diamond Mountain resort on Wednesday, come as the communist regime adopts a more conciliatory stance toward South Korea and the U.S.

August 27th, 2009 SKorea wants regular reunions for divided familiesSEOUL, South Korea — South Korea has proposed regular reunions of families separated by the Korean War during rare meetings between officials from the two Koreas held this week amid signs of easing tension on the peninsula, a spokesman said Thursday. The three days of talks, which opened at North Korea's Diamond Mountain resort on Wednesday, come as the communist regime adopts a more conciliatory stance toward South Korea and the U.S.

August 22nd, 2009 SEOUL - North and South Korea held their first high-level talks in almost two years Saturday amid indications of an easing of tensions on the Korean peninsula. South Korea's Minister of Unification Hyun In Taek met Kim Yang Gon, the head of the unification front department of North Korea's ruling Korean Workers' Party, South Korean media said.

August 21st, 2009 SEOUL - A delegation sent by North Korean leader Kim Jong Il arrived Friday in Seoul to pay respects to the late South Korean president Kim Dae Jung, who won the 2000 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to reconcile the two Koreas. The visit was the first to South Korea by high-ranking North Korean functionaries since the inauguration of conservative South Korean President Lee Myung Bak in February last year.

August 17th, 2009 SEOUL - North Korea Monday said it was reopening its borders for inter-Korean tourism projects with South Korea and to remove obstacles from the operation of a jointly-run business park, the South Korean Yonhap news agency reported. In a joint press release, Hyundai and North's Korea Asia-Pacific Peace Committee, which runs inter-Korean business affairs, announced to "restore" passage for South Korean personnel to the Kaesong industrial park.

August 16th, 2009 NKorea says Kim Jong Il met Hyundai Group chiefSEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Il held talks with the head of South Korea's Hyundai Group, the North's state media reported Sunday, in a rare meeting that could warm prospects for a resumption of stalled cross-border projects. Meanwhile, North Korea warned the United States and South Korea of "merciless retaliation" over sanctions imposed on the communist country, and nuclear attacks in response to any atomic provocation.

August 7th, 2009 South Korea, India sign free trade agreementSEOUL, South Korea — South Korea and India signed an ambitious free trade agreement Friday that slashes tariffs, encourages investment and promotes exchange of skills in a bid to double fast-growing commerce between two of Asia's biggest economies over the next decade. South Korean Trade Minister Kim Jong-hoon and India's Minister of Commerce and Industry Anand Sharma signed what the two sides formally called a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, but which in reality is a free trade deal.

August 7th, 2009 SKorea, India sign broad agreement to boost tradeSEOUL, South Korea — South Korea and India signed a broad trade agreement Friday to slash tariffs on goods and services in a bid to increase commerce between two of Asia's biggest economies. South Korean Trade Minister Kim Jong-hoon and India's Minister of Commerce and Industry Anand Sharma penned what the two sides formally called a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, but which South Korea is calling a free trade deal.

July 13th, 2009 South Korea: Conclusion of FTA with EU nearSEOUL, South Korea — South Korea and the European Union are ready to announce the conclusion of their free trade talks, President Lee Myung-bak said ahead of a meeting Monday with Sweden, the current chair of the rotating EU presidency. "I think we can declare the conclusion of negotiations," Lee told South Koreans in a nationwide radio address broadcast Monday.

April 22nd, 2009 SKorean parliamentary committee approves US FTASEOUL, South Korea — A South Korean lawmaker says a parliamentary committee has approved a free trade agreement with the United States, paving the way for the deal to be voted on by the entire legislature. The approval was announced Wednesday by Park Jin, the chairman of the National Assembly's trade committee.

April 22nd, 2009 Melee breaks out in SKorea over US free trade dealSEOUL, South Korea — A melee broke out between rival South Korean politicians after the chairman of a parliamentary committee approved a proposed free trade agreement with the United States on Wednesday. Park Jin, chairman of the National Assembly's foreign affairs and trade committee, announced his committee passed the trade pact, despite frantic efforts by opposition members to physically disrupt the session.

April 22nd, 2009 SKorean-US trade deal nears vote in legislatureSEOUL, South Korea — A South Korean parliamentary committee approved a free trade agreement with the United States on Wednesday, paving the way for the deal to be voted on by the entire legislature. Park Jin, chairman of the National Assembly's foreign affairs and trade committee, announced that his committee passed the trade pact, despite frantic efforts by opposition members to disrupt the session.

April 21st, 2009 2 SKoreans convicted for pro-NKorea activitiesSEOUL, South Korea — A South Korean court sentenced two activists on Tuesday to at least two years in prison for engaging in pro-North Korea activities, an official said. The Seoul Central District Court convicted the men for violating the National Security Law by establishing a civic group sympathetic to North Korea and holding forums praising North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, court spokesman Kwon Tae-hyung said.