Seoul asks foreign missions to refrain from rigorous entry restrictions

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry is urging partner countries to refrain from imposing rigorous entry restrictions against Korean nationals, amid concerns over the COVID-19 outbreak here. 　 The ministry explained Korea’s efforts to contain the novel coronavirus and request the countries refrain from taking excessive measures in a briefing session on Tuesday afternoon.  　  Kim Gunn, deputy foreign minister for political affairs, head the session held at the ministry in Seou

Feb. 25, 2020

[Newsmaker] US CDC recommends avoiding nonessential travel to S. Korea over coronavirus

WASHINGTON -- The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday issued the highest type of travel health notice for South Korea, recommending that Americans avoid all nonessential travel to the country due to the spread of the coronavirus there. The Level 3 notice constitutes a "warning" to avoid all nonessential travel over the high risk posed to travelers by the outbreak and the absence of precautions to protect against the risk. The new action came only two days after t

Feb. 25, 2020

Some 400 S. Korean tourists leave Israel on chartered flights

CAIRO -- Some 400 South Korean tourists boarded two chartered flights in Israel on Monday after the Israeli government imposed an entry ban on South Koreans over concerns about the new coronavirus. The first plane carrying some 220 South Koreans departed Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport at around 4 p.m. The second plane left the airport at around 10 p.m., with 196 South Koreans aboard, according to the South Korean Embassy in Israel. The flights were arranged at the Israeli government's expense

Feb. 25, 2020

FM calls Israel's entry ban on Koreans over new coronavirus 'excessive'

GENEVA/SEOUL -- Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha has described Israel's recent entry ban on South Koreans over concerns of the new coronavirus as "excessive," noting Seoul's ongoing diplomacy to prevent such unwarranted restrictions.  Kang made the remarks as more than a dozen countries have imposed entry restrictions against visitors from South Korea that has so far reported 833 infections and eight fatalities despite its stepped-up containment efforts. "My assessment is

Feb. 25, 2020

USFK reports 1st coronavirus patient, among family of soldier

A U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) family member living in the southeastern city of Daegu has been confirmed to have the new coronavirus, USFK said Monday, marking the first case among a person related to the American military stationed here. South Korea's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) informed USFK that the 61-year-old female had tested positive for COVID-19, USFK said in a release. The patient is a U.S. national, an official said, adding that it was not immediately known how sh

Feb. 24, 2020

S. Korean defense minister due in DC for talks on alliance

South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo headed to the US capital Sunday for talks with the Pentagon chief on pending alliance issues.  Among the agenda items in talks between Jeong and US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, slated for Monday (local time), are a scheduled spring joint military exercise and preparations for the wartime operational control transition, according to defense officials here.  The allies reportedly agreed to stage the combined drills in early March. B

Feb. 23, 2020

S. Korean president, Malaysian king exchange letters on bilateral ties

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has exchanged letters with Malaysia's king on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations, Cheong Wa Dae said Sunday. Moon and King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah took note of remarkable development in the ties between the two sides over the past six decades, especially as the fields of partnerships are diversifying to security, infrastructure and cutting-edge industries, it said. They agreed to continue close cooperation for pr

Feb. 23, 2020

US raises travel advisory for S. Korea over coronavirus outbreak

WASHINGTON -- The United States on Saturday raised its travel advisory for South Korea, urging travelers to exercise increased caution amid the spread of the new coronavirus in the country. The State Department said its on website that the travel advisory has been raised from Level 1 to Level 2, which calls for exercising "increased caution" as opposed to "normal precautions." Level 3 means "reconsider travel," while the highest Level 4 means "do not travel.

Feb. 23, 2020

S. Korea strongly protests Japan's renewed claims to Dokdo

South Korea lodged a strong protest Saturday against Japan's renewed claims to South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo. Seoul's foreign ministry called in Hirohisa Soma, a senior official at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, and expressed regret over Japan's annual event meant to publicize its territorial claim to Dokdo. South Korea has been in effective control of Dokdo, with a small police detachment, since its liberation from Japanese colonial rule in 1945. Still, Japan claims sovereignty

Feb. 22, 2020

S. Korea, Japan to hold talks next month over trade row

South Korea said Friday that it will hold talks with Japan next month in the latest attempt to resolve the two countries' monthslong trade row. Lee Ho-hyeon, South Korea's director general for international trade policy, is set to meet with his Japanese counterpart, Yoichi Iida, in Seoul on March 10, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. In December, the two neighbors held their first director-general-level talks since 2016 but failed to make progress toward loosening the

Feb. 21, 2020

FM to attend UN session on human rights, disarmament meeting in Geneva next week

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha will travel to Geneva next week to attend a UN session on human rights and a disarmament conference, her ministry said Thursday. Kang will attend the 43rd UN Human Rights Council and the Conference on Disarmament slated to take place in Geneva on Monday, Kim In-chul, ministry spokesperson, told a press briefing. "As a member of the Human Rights Council from 2020-22, Minister Kang will talk about human rights issues that are of our government's concern and

Feb. 20, 2020

Kang, diplomats in China discuss measures to protect S. Koreans from new coronavirus

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha on Wednesday instructed the heads of South Korea's missions in China to take active measures to protect nationals from the spread of the new coronavirus. In a video conference call, Minister Kang, Ambassador Jang Ha-sung and other diplomats and consulate officials examined the COVID-19 outbreak in the country and its impacts on South Korean residents and business operations, the ministry said in a release after the meeting. Kang called for their best efforts to

Feb. 20, 2020

Seoul to bar entry of foreigners aboard infected cruise ship in Japan

South Korea will deny entry to foreign nationals who were aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which has seen over 540 COVID-19 cases so far, officials here said Wednesday as passengers began to disembark in Japan. 　 “There are possibilities that the passengers could enter Korea (en route to their home countries). In such cases, foreign nationals will be denied entry here. Korean nationals will be required to observe self-quarantine,” said Noh Hong-in, an official at the govern

Feb. 19, 2020

Government jet mobilized for evacuation of Koreans from cruise ship in Japan

A South Korean government jet left Tuesday to evacuate Koreans aboard the coronavirus-stricken cruise ship in Japan, amid concerns of rapidly rising cases of COVID-19 onboard. 　 The VCN-235 Air Force plane left Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, at noon, and landed in Japan’s Haneda Airport, 20 minutes away from the Yokohama port where the cruise ship Diamond Princess is docked. 　 The plane is scheduled to leave Japan on Wednesday and arrive at Gimpo Airport at around 8 a.m.

Feb. 18, 2020

S. Koreans on cruise ship to face two-week quarantine upon return

South Koreans aboard a coronavirus-stricken cruise ship off the coast of Japan will face an additional two-week quarantine period back in Korea, if they wish to return, according to public health authorities on Monday. 　 Earlier on Sunday, Seoul announced it would repatriate Korean passengers and crew members from the Diamond Princess ship being held under quarantine at the Yokohama port, where 355 cases of the COVID-19 virus have been confirmed, in the largest cluster of virus cases outside o

Feb. 17, 2020

Korean, Chinese foreign ministers discuss coronavirus, Xi’s Seoul visit

South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Saturday and agreed to cooperate to combat COVID-19 and proceed with preparations for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Seoul in the first half of the year. “I and Minister Wang reaffirmed that there are no changes in our plans for Xi’s visit to Korea,” Kang told reporters after the bilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the annual Munich Security Conference. “As w

Feb. 16, 2020

Govt. steps up efforts to support Korean passengers on quarantined cruise ship in Japan

TOKYO/SEOUL -- South Korea on Saturday stepped up efforts to support its 14 citizens aboard a quarantined cruise ship moored off the coast of Japan by sending them food, hygiene products and other commodities and checking their status. The Koreans -- nine passengers and five crew members -- have remained inside the Diamond Princess since the ship was quarantined at Yokohama Port earlier this month after confirming an infection of COVID-19. Yoon Hee-chan, the Korean consul general in Yokohama,

Feb. 16, 2020

S. Korea, US, Japan hold trilateral foreign ministers' talks in Munich

The top diplomats of South Korea, the United States and Japan held trilateral talks on the margins of a security forum in Germany on Saturday to discuss cooperation over stalled nuclear talks with North Korea, the new coronavirus outbreak and security in the Middle East. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her US and Japanese counterparts -- Mike Pompeo and Toshimitsu Motegi -- met on the sidelines of the annual three-day Munich Security Conference in Munich, which will run through Sunday. &q

Feb. 16, 2020

S. Korean, Canadian FMs agree on efforts to boost bilateral economic ties

The foreign ministers of South Korea and Canada agreed Friday to make efforts to expand bilateral economic cooperation and bolster exchanges of high-level officials. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her Canadian counterpart Francois-Philippe Champagne held talks in Munich on the sidelines of a three-day security forum that opened Friday, according to the foreign ministry. The top diplomats agreed to increase exchanges of high-level personnel and encourage the industrial sectors of both nati

Feb. 14, 2020

Govt. vows to work with Japan to help S. Korean passengers on quarantined cruise ship

South Korea will consult with Japan to best reflect the wishes of its citizens locked inside a cruise ship quarantined near Tokyo following onboard outbreaks of the new coronavirus, an official said Friday, after criticism it is not doing enough to protect them. Fourteen South Koreans -- nine passengers and five crew members -- have remained inside the Diamond Princess since the ship was quarantined at Yokohama Port early last week after confirming the first infection of the COVID-19. While

Feb. 14, 2020