Videoconferencing emerges as key diplomatic tool amid coronavirus outbreaks

With coronavirus outbreaks restricting in-person meetings and overseas travel, diplomats are turning increasingly to a safer, more convenient mode of engagement with their foreign counterparts: videoconferencing. In recent months, the typical scene of officials huddling together to build rapport and engage in negotiations of some sorts has been replaced by the spectacle of them sitting in front of projection screens or digital displays to keep their diplomacy running. Officials have been co

May 12, 2020

US State Department thanks S. Korea for sending 2m masks

WASHINGTON -- The US State Department thanked South Korea on Monday for sending 2 million face masks in support of the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. The department's Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs tweeted its gratitude to South Korea and its presidential office, Cheong Wa Dae, noting that the masks are being sent to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. "Our alliance remains ironclad as we stand together to fight the global pandemic. #WeAreInThisTogether," it

May 12, 2020

Pompeo discusses COVID-19 with Kang, other top diplomats

WASHINGTON -- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday spoke with his counterparts from six nations, including South Korea, to discuss cooperation against the coronavirus pandemic, the State Department said. The video-conference involved Pompeo, South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, and their counterparts from Australia, Brazil, India, Israel and Japan. "Secretary Pompeo and his counterparts discussed the importance of international cooperation, transparency, and accountabilit

May 12, 2020

Navy to assess impact of radioactive water on its operations amid Fukushima concerns

The Navy plans to look into possible impact of radioactive contaminated water on its operations, officials said Tuesday, amid concerns over Japan's planned release of radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean. Japan has been preparing to release contaminated water from the power plant devastated by an earthquake and tsunami in 2011 into the ocean. More than 1.1 million tons of tainted water is reportedly in temporary storage at the Fukushima plant. According to t

May 12, 2020

Trump says US states to surpass S. Korea in virus tests

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump said Monday that every US state will be able to surpass the total number of coronavirus tests performed in South Korea, per capita, and in May alone. Trump has often compared the two countries in touting his administration's claimed successes in the fight against COVID-19. At a White House press conference specifically intended to discuss testing accomplishments, Trump offered new projections based on what he said were his administration's efforts to

May 12, 2020

Government’s legitimacy, solidarity behind Korea’s success battling COVID-19: Sorman

South Korea’s acclaimed response to the coronavirus outbreak stems from the legitimacy of its government and a “deep-rooted sense of solidarity” among its citizens, said Guy Sorman, a renowned French American economist and writer.  Sorman, in a YouTube interview series on the post-coronavirus era organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Korea, along with Taiwan and Germany, stands out for its quick, efficient response to COVID-19.  “I believe that t

May 11, 2020

S. Korea sends 2 million face masks to US

South Korea on Monday sent 2 million face masks to the US, which is battling one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in the world. 　 The Foreign Ministry said a US cargo flight carrying the protective masks left Seoul and is expected to arrive in the US on Monday (local time). They will be distributed to medical facilities at the forefront of the COVID-19 response. 　 The assistance follows a phone conversation between Korean President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump on March 24, wher

May 11, 2020

Xi Jinping offers to help NK fight coronavirus

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday offered to help North Korea contain the novel coronavirus, in his reply to an earlier message from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. 　 “China is willing to enhance anti-epidemic cooperation with the DPRK and provide as much support as its capacity allows for the DPRK in line with the latter’s needs,” Xi said, according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency. DPRK stands for the country’s official name, the Democratic People’s Re

May 10, 2020

US pushing for $1.3b in defense cost-sharing talks

The defense cost-sharing negotiations between Seoul and Washington appear likely to continue, with the US reportedly proposing a raise more than three times higher than South Korea’s offer. According to a local daily, the Trump administration has proposed that Korea pay about $1.3 billion. Citing an unnamed source, local daily Dong-A Ilbo reported that the US has proposed that Seoul’s share be raised to the “$1.3 billion level,” which would be about 49 percent up from

May 7, 2020

S. Korea eyes leading role in global discussions on overcoming COVID-19

South Korea is seeking to spearhead global discussions on battling the new coronavirus by launching multilateral cooperation groups in the United Nations and two other international organizations this month, a foreign ministry official said Thursday. On the back of global recognition for its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Seoul has been pushing to establish "Friends Group" in the UN, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

May 7, 2020

Pompeo thanks Kang for close cooperation on COVID-19, reaffirms strength of alliance

WASHINGTON -- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has thanked South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha for Seoul's close cooperation on COVID-19 and reaffirmed the strength of the bilateral alliance, the State Department said Wednesday. Pompeo and Kang spoke by phone on Tuesday to discuss the two countries' response to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a readout from the department. "Secretary Pompeo thanked Foreign Minister Kang for the close cooperation and information sharing o

May 7, 2020

Uzbekistan to help S. Korean firms in infrastructure projects: deputy PM

Uzbekistan's deputy prime minister said Wednesday that Tashkent will cooperate with Seoul to ensure South Korean companies can boost their participation in infrastructure projects in the central Asian country. Sardor Umurzakov, who is in charge of investment and foreign economic relations, made the comments in a videoconference meeting with South Korean Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki, according to the Ministry of Finance and Economy. Last year, South Korean builder SK Engineering & Construc

May 6, 2020

FM Kang discusses anti-virus cooperation with envoys

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha spoke with South Korean envoys to United Nations agencies in a videoconference on Wednesday and discussed ways to expand cooperation to overcome the coronavirus pandemic, her office said. The ministry said that ambassadors to the UN, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, UNESCO, Vienna and Geneva attended the conference. In the talks, Kang stressed the importance of multilateral cooperation and called on the envoys to engage in diplomatic p

May 6, 2020

S. Korea beefs up entry quarantine amid surge in virus cases from Kuwait: KCDC

A total of six people who arrived from Kuwait have tested positive for the novel coronavirus over the past four days, prompting local health authorities to beef up quarantine operations, they said Wednesday. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said it has strengthened measures against arrivals from Kuwait at Incheon International Airport, the country's main gateway west of Seoul. "Most of the confirmed cases are workers dispatched at construction sites," KCDC

May 6, 2020

Seoul already made best offer on defense costs: reports

South Korea has already presented the US with its best possible offer in ongoing defense cost-sharing talks, local reports said Wednesday, as the US called for more “flexibility.” 　 The reports cited an unnamed source as saying that Seoul’s proposal for a 13 percent increase over the 1.04 trillion won ($850 million) that it paid last year to host US troops was the highest it could offer, reiterating remarks last week from Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha during a parliamentary

May 6, 2020

S. Korea already made best offer in defense cost talks with US despite calls for flexibility: source

South Korea has already made its best possible offer in defense cost-sharing talks with the United States, a diplomatic source said Wednesday, after a senior US official urged Seoul to show flexibility. On Tuesday, Marc Knapper, deputy assistant secretary of state for Korea and Japan, renewed Washington's call for flexibility, stressing that the US has been "very flexible up until now." "I cannot mention the number, but the foreign minister has already said that the offer was t

May 6, 2020

More than 130 S. Koreans leave Egypt on chartered flight

More than 130 South Koreans in Egypt left for Seoul on a chartered flight Tuesday in the latest evacuation of South Koreans from foreign countries over the coronavirus pandemic. The plane carrying 133 South Koreans and six foreigners departed Cairo International Airport at around 3:40 p.m. The South Koreans had been struck in Egypt since May 19, when the Egyptian government suspended international flights due to concerns over COVID-19. In Egypt, the coronavirus has killed 436 people and infe

May 6, 2020

US expects S. Korea to be flexible in defense cost-sharing talks: official

WASHINGTON -- The United States expects South Korea to be flexible in their defense cost-sharing negotiations, a US official said Tuesday, amid a prolonged impasse in talks. The comment by Marc Knapper, deputy assistant secretary of state for Korea and Japan, suggests Washington continues to seek significant increases in Seoul's contributions to the cost of stationing 28,500 American troops on the peninsula. "Our leaders have spoken recently, and we'll continue to look for ways to sit do

May 6, 2020

APEC calls for essential movement of people across borders

  Trade ministers of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) called Tuesday for the essential movement of people across borders, saying measures meant to address challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic should not create unnecessary barriers to trade. The ministers said they will work to facilitate the flow of essential goods and services to fight the pandemic across borders, and minimize disruptions to the global supply chains. "We will also ensure that trading links rem

May 5, 2020

S. Korean firm donates 2,500 COVID-19 test kits to Mozambique

JOHANNESBURG -- A South Korean firm has donated Korean-made kits for 2,500 new coronavirus tests to Mozambique, the South Korean Embassy in Mozambique said Tuesday. Mozambique's Health Minister Armindo Tiago expressed gratitude to South Korea during a donation ceremony Monday.   The embassy said in a Facebook message that the test kits were provided by Youngsan Glonet Corp., which provides consulting services to Hyundai Motor to help raise the market share of the South Korean carmak

May 5, 2020