S Korea, Israel discuss ways to promote ties

South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan and his Israeli counterpart Avigdor Liberman held talks on Thursday and discussed ways to boost economic and trade ties, Seoul officials said. Israeli Foreign Minister Liberman arrived in Seoul Wednesday for a two-day visit that marked the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two nations, according to South Korea's (Yonhap) News Agency. "The two ministers exchanged views on matters of mutual concern, including bilateral cooperation in the economy, trade and consular affairs, and the situation in the Middle East and Northeast Asia," a ministry official said. During the visit, Liberman was scheduled to meet with Rep. Kim Choong-hwan, the chairman of the National Assembly Committee on Foreign Affairs, Trade and Unification, and tour the truce village of Panmunjom, which sits in the middle of the heavily fortified border dividing the Korean Peninsula, according to the official. Liberman is in South Korea as Israel has hinted at an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities and Seoul is weighing its options to cut imports of Iranian crude oil to join the US-led sanctions against Tehran. South Korea has expressed support for the US decision to impose tougher sanctions on Iran as punishment for its nuclear ambitions but has yet to finalize its plan of action, including how much Seoul will reduce its crude imports from Tehran.