U.S. President Joe Biden nominated a career diplomat as a new special envoy for North Korean human rights, moving to fill a post that has been vacant for six years.
Senior Japanese and South Korean diplomats discussed on Jan. 16 a recent suggestion by Seoul to resolve the long-standing wartime labor issue, a Japanese official said, but it remains uncertain whether the idea would be well-received by the public in South Korea.
The conservative leader reiterated his call for closer security cooperation with the United States and Japan to counter the "dangerous situation" created by North Korea.
President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday granted wide-ranging special pardons to former President Lee Myung-bak and seveeral high-profile politicians and former officials convicted of corruption and other irregularities.