NSC to convene over Japan's entry restrictions on arrivals from S. Korea

South Korea's National Security Council will hold a meeting on Friday morning to discuss Japan's decision to tighten entry restrictions from the South amid the spread of the new coronavirus. In its standing committee meeting at 10 a.m., top national security officials will discuss ways to respond to Japan's move to effectively place South Koreans arriving in Japan under a two-week quarantine, according to Cheong Wa Dae. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced Thursday night that those fl

March 6, 2020

Jailed ex-president Park urges conservative forces to unite

Park Geun-hye, an impeached former president of South Korea, stepped back into politics Wednesday while in prison by sending a message calling for the country's conservatives to unite ahead of the April 15 parliamentary elections. In a handwritten letter made public by her lawyer, Yoo Young-ha, Park asked them to come together around the "existing giant opposition party." Yoo read the letter aloud at a press briefing he held at the National Assembly. Park was apparently referring t

March 4, 2020

Ex-President Park calls for unity in conservative bloc

Ousted former President Park Geun-hye has called for unity within the conservative bloc, saying that conservatives’ patriotism can save the country from an “unprecedented crisis,” in a letter revealed by her lawyer Yoo Young-ha. “The country is in deep difficulties. There can be differences, and gaps that are difficult to fill in, but I urge all those who took up the Taegeukgi to come together around the behemoth opposition for a better Korea,” the imprisoned Par

March 4, 2020

Election body mulls special voting measures amid virus outbreak

Those affected by the COVID-19 outbreak may be allowed to vote from home in the April 15 general elections. According to reports, the National Election Commission is considering ways to enable COVID-19 patients and people under quarantine to vote in the general elections. One possible option is allowing them to apply to vote from their places of residence. Those who might be eligible under the new rules include hospitalized COVID-19 patients, patients in home isolation and others whose movem

March 4, 2020

S. Korea prepares over $8b extra budget bill against coronavirus: minister

South Korea is preparing an extra budget bill worth more than 10 trillion won (US$8.37 billion) to help fight against the new coronavirus, the finance minister told a parliamentary session Tuesday. Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki added that the outbreak of COVID-19 may undercut the country's economic growth by 0.2 percentage point this year. "(The outbreak) will probably have a negative impact on gross domestic product (GDP) in the first quarter and on this year's overall growth rate,&quo

March 3, 2020

Moon apologizes for mask shortage

President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday apologized for the shortage of protective masks, and called on all government organizations to operate 24-hour situation rooms in light of the COVID-19 outbreak. “I feel very sorry for causing inconveniences to the public by failing to supply masks sufficiently and quickly,” Moon said at Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting. “Resolve the matter in the near future through cooperation among concerned ministries, with the Ministry of Food and Drug

March 3, 2020

Korea plans massive supplementary budget for COVID-19

The government and ruling Democratic Party of Korea have decided to draw up a supplementary budget of over 6.2 trillion won ($5.2 billion) and submit the plans to the National Assembly on Thursday. The exact scale of the supplementary budget has not been determined, but the two sides agreed it needs to be larger than that allocated in response to the Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak in 2015, the ruling party said. At the time, a supplementary budget of 6.2 trillion won was drawn up

March 2, 2020

Cheong Wa Dae holds security ministers' meeting on N. Korea's projectile launch

Cheong Wa Dae said Monday it has convened an emergency meeting of security-related ministers Monday on North Korea's firing of unidentified projectiles. The session started at 1:30 p.m. and was presided over by Chung Eui-yong, director of national security at the presidential office, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Kang Min-seok. Earlier in the day, the North fired projectiles from Wonsan, an eastern coastal city, into the East Sea, the South's military said, adding that it is analyzi

March 2, 2020

Govt. to submit extra budget bill on coronavirus Thursday

South Korea's finance minister said Monday the government plans to submit an extra budget bill to fight the fast spread of the new coronavirus this week, expressing readiness for its swift implementation. The government has been drawing up the bill to submit to the National Assembly on Thursday, Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki told a consultative meeting with ruling party and government officials over the virus outbreak. "The best way to overcome the economic fallout from the coronavirus cr

March 2, 2020

Parties agree to pass bill on extra budget to prevent coronavirus spread

South Korean ruling and opposition parties have agreed to quickly pass a bill on an extra budget to help fight the spread of the novel coronavirus, a ruling party official said Sunday. Floor leaders of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), the main opposition United Future Party and the minor Party for People's Livelihoods met on Sunday at the National Assembly to come to this agreement, Rep. Yoon Hu-duk, DP's deputy floor leader, said during a press briefing. Their goal is to pass bills on a sup

March 1, 2020

Moon says Korea can overcome COVID-19 crisis, makes overtures to N. Korea, Japan

President Moon Jae-in called Sunday for national unity in a fight against the new coronavirus in line with the spirit of a historic independence movement a century earlier and suggested close international cooperation against such an unconventional threat, including partnerships with North Korea. "The March 1 Independence Movement once again reminds us that we can prevail over anything as long as we stand together," he said in a televised speech to commemorate the 1919 public uprisin

March 1, 2020

Moon requests parties’ support for budget for COVID-19 outbreak

President Moon Jae-in on Friday met with leaders of political parties, calling for their cooperation in dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak. “(I) ask you to increase the speed and strength of the cooperation. I hope (the parties) will shore up measures such as strengthening the country’s quarantine capabilities, and aid (to those affected by the outbreak) with the (supplementary) budget,” Moon said. With the virus spreading rapidly, the government and the ruling Democratic

Feb. 28, 2020

Chinese people's entry to South Korea being effectively controlled: Cheong Wa Dae

South Korea's presidential office said Thursday it does not believe a full entry ban on Chinese nationals is necessary in response to the novel coronavirus outbreak, citing multiple reasons. It expressed regrets over continued criticism that the Moon Jae-in administration is currying favor with China and disregarding the safety of South Koreans amid the fast spread of the COVID-19 virus. South Korea has maintained limited travel restrictions against people who have stayed in China's Hubei

Feb. 27, 2020

Opposition heaps criticism on Moon, health minister

The conservative opposition on Thursday slammed the Moon Jae-in administration for gross “incompetence and negligence” in tackling the coronavirus outbreak. “Running away from the responsibility and turning a blind eye to what experts have to say about COVID-19 is evidence the Moon government is just unfit to govern,” said Shim Jae-cheol, floor leader of the United Future Party. Shim urged Health Minister Park Neung-hoo to step down over his remarks that Koreans, not

Feb. 27, 2020

Moon calls for parliament’s cooperation in real estate measures

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called on the National Assembly to process proposed revisions to comprehensive real estate and income taxes, saying the changes are necessary to shore up the government’s real estate market stabilization measures. Speaking at the annual joint briefing session by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Moon also urged the ministries to implement policies as planned, saying their operations are closely conc

Feb. 27, 2020

Bills on disease response pass as parliament reopens after closure due to virus concerns

South Korea's parliament on Wednesday passed a set of bills to beef up government responses to infectious diseases as the country is striving to rein in the fast-spreading new coronavirus. The lawmakers also formed a special committee on the virus crisis as the National Assembly reopened earlier in the day after a two-day closure for disinfection. Its main buildings were shuttered Monday after it was discovered that a person infected with COVID-19 attended a parliamentary forum last week. Thr

Feb. 26, 2020

Parliament reopens after closure due to coronavirus

South Korea's parliament reopened on Wednesday morning, after it was closed down two days ago due to concerns of coronavirus infection. The National Assembly called off a plenary session and shuttered its main buildings on Monday after it was discovered that a person infected with COVID-19 attended a parliamentary forum last week organized by a lawmaker from the opposition United Future Party (UFP). It was the first time the National Assembly had been shut down for an emergency. Three UFP

Feb. 26, 2020

Moon to meet with political leaders on COVID-19 response

President Moon Jae-in is expected to hold a meeting with the leaders of South Korea's ruling and opposition parties this week on the COVID-19 epidemic, a Cheong Wa Dae official said Wednesday. Moon plans to discuss the matter with Lee Hae-chan, head of the ruling Democratic Party; Hwang Kyo-ahn, chief of the main opposition Future United Party; and leaders of other major parties on Friday, according to the official who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The official stopped short of reveali

Feb. 26, 2020

Presidential office, ruling party to speed up economic aid for COVID-19

An economic aid package and extra budget will be drawn up as quickly as possible to combat the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak, the presidential office, government and ruling Democratic Party of Korea agreed Tuesday. The move comes a day after President Moon Jae-in raised the possibility of the additional funds to manage the economic fallout of the outbreak. Speaking at Monday’s meeting with top aides and infectious disease experts, Moon called on the government to consider all possibl

Feb. 25, 2020

Full entry ban against Chinese visitors pointless for now: Cheong Wa Dae official

Cheong Wa Dae dismissed a call Tuesday to block the entry of all people coming from China, stressing the need for a "scientific," not emotional, approach. As the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has shot up in South Korea, mostly in the southeastern city of Daegu and nearby areas, the Moon Jae-in administration has come under growing pressure to take the step, albeit belated in the eyes of critics. Limited travel restrictions are in place against those who have stayed in China's H

Feb. 25, 2020