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

Ireland learning from S. Korea over coronavirus response: PM

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said Monday his country is taking its cue from South Korea in responding to the coronavirus, especially in carrying out aggressive testing and app-based contact tracing, according to Cheong Wa Dae. He made the remarks while speaking on the phone with President Moon Jae-in, which marked Moon's 100th round of phone talks with foreign leaders since he took office in May 2017. Varadkar was quoted as saying that his government has been inspired by South Korea's ha

May 4, 2020

S. Korean FM discuss virus responses with Sri Lankan, Czech counterparts

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha spoke by phone with her Sri Lankan and Czech Republic counterparts Monday and discussed cooperation in coping with the coronavirus pandemic, her office said. In the talks with Dinesh Gunawardena, Kang explained that the COVID-19 situation in South Korea is stabilizing as a result of nationwide efforts to overcome the disease based on the principle of transparency in terms of its quarantine policy, the ministry said in a release. In response, Gunawardena praise

May 4, 2020

Trump declines to comment on NK leader's reported appearance

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump on Friday declined to comment on the reported public appearance of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un after a 20-day absence. "I'd rather not comment on it yet -- Kim Jong-un," Trump told reporters at the White House before departing for Camp David. "We'll have something to say about it at the appropriate time." On whether Kim is still alive, he said, "I don't want to talk about it." But asked if he will be talking to Kim th

May 2, 2020

Trump says S. Korea agreed to pay more for defense cost: report

US President Donald Trump said South Korea has agreed to pay more for the stationing of American troops in the country, according to a news report. "We can make a deal. They want to make a deal," Trump was quoted as saying in an interview with Reuters on Wednesday (US time), referring to the negotiations to determine how to divide the cost for the upkeep of about 28,500 US troops stationed in South Korea. "They've agreed to pay a lot of money. They're paying a lot more money th

April 30, 2020

Seoul, Beijing allow ‘fast track’ entry for businesspeople

South Korea and China agreed on Wednesday to exempt qualified businesspeople from the strict quarantine rules that otherwise apply to travelers entering their respective countries, in a move to facilitate trade-related travel despite the coronavirus pandemic.  Taking effect Friday, the “fast-track” entry procedures apply to Korean nationals visiting 10 regions in China for business purposes: the cities of Shanghai, Tianjin and Chongqing and the provinces of Liaoning, Shandong,

April 29, 2020

Vietnam grants entry ban exemptions to 340 S. Korean business travelers

Vietnam has granted 340 South Korean business travelers exemptions from its coronavirus entry ban, the foreign ministry said Tuesday, with their chartered flights set to depart for the Southeast Asian country later this week. The exemptions came amid Seoul's stepped-up diplomacy to persuade foreign countries to allow essential overseas trips by businesspeople, as part of a broader effort to limit the economic repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic. The employees of 143 Korean firms, including

April 28, 2020

Pompeo sends letter thanking S. Korea for support in purchasing test kits

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has sent a letter thanking South Korea for helping his country purchase Korean-made coronavirus test kits, saying such a partnership is a testament to the "strong and unshakable" alliance, Seoul officials said. The letter, addressed to Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, came after the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) purchased the test kits, enough to run 750,000 tests, from three South Korean companies early this month. The shipments fol

April 28, 2020

Virus hurts possibility of Xi's visit to S. Korea in first half of year: FM

Chances of Chinese leader Xi Jinping visiting South Korea in the first half of the year have become more unlikely due to the coronavirus pandemic, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said Tuesday. South Korea and China have been in talks to arrange Xi's visit to Seoul in the first half of the year. South Korean officials said after a meeting between Xi and President Moon Jae-in in Beijing in December that the Chinese leader is certain to visit South Korea in the first half of this year. But quest

April 28, 2020

Body believed to be of missing Korean trekker found in Annapurna

NEW DELHI/SEOUL/HONGSEONG -- A body believed to be of a member of a South Korean trekking group that went missing in a deadly avalanche in Annapurna, Nepal, in January has been discovered by Nepalese authorities, officials said Monday. According to diplomatic sources and trekkers in Nepal, local residents and Nepalese military personnel who have been searching the accident scene have found the body in melting snow. The local search workers confirmed that the body belongs to a South Korean man

April 27, 2020

S. Korea launches task force handling international calls for coronavirus cooperation

South Korea launched a government task force Monday in charge of helping foreign countries cope with the coronavirus by sharing its own quarantine experience amid growing international requests seeking to adopt Seoul's virus response systems. The first interagency meeting, presided over by Second Vice Foreign Minister Lee Tae-ho, took place to discuss details on "how to systematically and effectively respond to" the calls from foreign partners for advice from Seoul on tackling the di

April 27, 2020

S. Korea has never sounded out Japan about sending masks: ministry

The foreign ministry denied a news report Monday that South Korea has expressed a willingness to provide Japan with face masks to help the neighboring country cope with the coronavirus outbreak. A local newspaper reported earlier in the day that the government suggested the idea to some senior officials of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party through an unofficial channel, and Tokyo has not responded to the offer yet. "We, at the government level, have not sounded out the Japanese government

April 27, 2020

Bodies of 2 S. Koreans found after going missing in Annapurna avalanche in Jan.

The bodies of two South Korean trekkers have been discovered after they went missing in January when an avalanche hit the Annapurna region in Nepal, government officials said Sunday. The bodies -- one male and the other female -- were found at about 3 p.m. Saturday by those patrolling around the avalanche-hit area and will be airlifted to a hospital in Kathmandu, according to the officials. Their identities have been confirmed with passports found along with the bodies, but details other than

April 26, 2020

South Korea to double contributions to UN humanitarian air service: Foreign Ministry

South Korea plans to double its contributions to a UN humanitarian air service program to $5 million over the next three years, the foreign ministry said Friday, amid global efforts to help countries vulnerable to the new coronavirus overcome the pandemic. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha explained Seoul's plan to expand the contributions to David Beasley, executive director of the World Food Programme, during phone talks on cooperation in responding to the COVID-19 scourge. Managed by the WFP

April 24, 2020

S. Korea identifies one citizen aboard coronavirus-hit cruise ship docked in Nagasaki

South Korea has identified one of its citizens aboard a coronavirus-hit cruise ship docked off the Japanese prefecture of Nagasaki, the foreign ministry said Thursday, noting the women remains in good shape. The ministry's consulate general in Fukuoka learned through the owner of the Italian-registered Costa Atlantica that the citizen was among the 623 crewmembers aboard the vessel, where at least 48 people have reportedly tested positive for COVID-19. "At present, our citizen has no hea

April 23, 2020