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[ Editor’s note: A behind the scenes move might be in the making, with South Korea considering to repatriate frozen Iranian oil payment funds, a tidy sum. The issue has been simmering for some time, with the snag being that S. Korea needed US Treasury OK to release the funds.
Has something changed? What could it be? Might Biden want to play a one step reduction in the Iran sanctions by not objecting to S. Korea’s releasing the funds to Iran? Such a fund would enable Iran to buy what it needs for coronavirus supplies and vaccines, and also the backlog of specialty medical supplies it has needed.
South Korea’s prime minister due in Tehran to discuss frozen Iranian assets Friday, 09 April 2021 3:23 PM
[ Last Update: Friday, 09 April 2021 3:23 PM ] South Korean Prime Minister Chung Sye-Kyun
South Korean Prime Minister Chung Sye-Kyun will pay an official visit to Tehran to discuss bilateral issues, particularly the release of billions of dollars of Iranian funds frozen in the country’s banks as a result of US sanctions.
“Chung Sye-Kyun will travel to Tehran on April 11 and 12 to meet officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran and hold talks about bilateral issues, including illegal restrictions placed in the way of access to the Central Bank’s [of Iran] resources in this country,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Friday.
Updated : 2021-04-08 17:21
First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun, right, and Rob Rapson, charge d affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, bump arms at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul after signing a defense cost-sharing deal, Thursday. Under the Special Measures Agreement, South Korea will pay 1.183 trillion won ($1.05 billion) this year for the upkeep of the 28,500-strong U.S. Forces Korea (USFK). The two sides had not reached a deal since September 2019 due to former U.S. President Donald Trump s demand for fivefold funding increase from Korea, but a deal was made in March after the Joe Biden administration was launched. Yonhap
The paper says the South Korean government's hesitation in joining the Quad will only bring about a detriment to its global standing.. Read more at straitstimes.com.
South Korea pushes for talks two years after Trump walked out on Kim Jong Un nknews.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nknews.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.