[Newsmaker] US grateful to S. Korea for supplying virus test kits: official

The United States is grateful to South Korea for supplying COVID-19 testing kits, a senior US government official said Monday ahead of the planned arrival of a shipment of Korean-made kits. Two South Korean companies were set to load their test kits on a US cargo flight Tuesday (Seoul time) after getting interim approval from the US Food and Drug Administration. "We are grateful to our Republic of Korea partners for assisting the United States in procuring COVID-19 tests, and for its sup

April 14, 2020

US health secretary seeks coronavirus advice from S. Korea

US Health Secretary Alex M. Azar reached out to his South Korean counterpart, Park Neung-hoo, on Monday to learn from Seoul's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, the health ministry here said. It said Park and Azar discussed testing procedures and managing of people who have come in contact with patients, as well as recent cases in South Korea where people have retested positive for COVID-19. The number of new cases has stayed below 50 for the past five days in South Korea, while the virus

April 14, 2020

S. Korean man in Spain dies of COVID-19 in first fatality overseas

An elderly South Korean citizen in Spain died of the new coronavirus last week in the first known fatality involving an overseas national, the foreign ministry said Monday. The man in his late 80s died at a hospital on Friday (Spain time) after having tested positive on April 3. Other details about his death were unknown. As of Monday, the foreign ministry has learned of 59 coronavirus cases involving South Koreans overases. Of them, 18 have fully recovered, while the rest are receiving treat

April 13, 2020

All US arrivals to get tested within 3 days of self-isolation

All arrivals from the United States are to be tested for the new coronavirus within three days of self-isolation, starting Monday, health authorities said. The strengthened measure against COVID-19 began midnight, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). It comes as confirmed cases from the US have been increasing steadily despite a gradual decline in domestic cases. KCDC data showed that 228, or 49.7 percent, out of a total of 459 imported cases came from th

April 13, 2020

Moon to join ASEAN+3 virtual summit on coronavirus this week

South Korean President Moon Jae-in will stress the importance of regional cooperation against the new coronavirus when he attends a video summit this week with leaders of China, Japan and ASEAN member states on the new coronavirus, Cheong Wa Dae said Sunday. The special session is slated to open at 4 p.m. Tuesday. In the upcoming ASEAN Plus Three (APT) video summit, participants plan to have "discussions on ways to coordinate in response to COVID-19 and minimize negative social and econo

April 12, 2020

US arrivals to get tested within 3 days of self-isolation: authorities

All arrivals from the United States will get tested for the new coronavirus within three days of self-isolation starting this week, health authorities said Sunday. According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), confirmed cases coming in from the US have been increasing steadily, which calls for the strengthened quarantine step against COVID-19 beginning Monday. The KCDC data showed that 343, or 37.6 percent, out of a total of 912 imported cases came from the US But

April 12, 2020

S. Korean at embassy in Brussels tests positive for coronavirus

A South Korean employee at the country's embassy to Belgium and the European Union, in Brussels, tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the diplomatic mission said Friday. It is the first confirmed case of COVID-19 of a South Korean at the country's embassies and consulates. The employee appears to have contracted the virus after close contact with his housemate, who works at a nursing hospital as a nurse, and has tested positive, the embassy said in a release. "The worker has been

April 10, 2020

Ukraine requests S. Korean virus test kits, medical equipment in phone summit

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy asked South Korean President Moon Jae-in Friday for test kits and other medical equipment needed to tackle the spread of the novel coronavirus, Cheong Wa Dae said. During the 25-minute telephone conversation, which was made at Zelenskiy's request, the Ukrainian leader said the COVID-19 situation in South Korea appears to stabilizing, which is not the case in his country. Noting that the next one or two weeks will be critical, Zelenskiy expressed hope to

April 10, 2020

Moon, Modi agree on 'people-first' approach to coronavirus crisis

The leaders of South Korea and India agreed Thursday on the importance of making people's lives and health the top priorities amid the coronavirus pandemic, Cheong Wa Dae said. Speaking by phone with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the world would change following the COVID-19 outbreak, as it did after World War II. He was quoted as saying that people should be at the heart of all policies and strategies, going forward. Moon pointed out Modi's cal

April 9, 2020

Five middle powers affirm 'full solidarity' in tackling COVID-19

The top diplomats of South Korea and its four middle-power partners affirmed their commitment Thursday to working in "full solidarity" and mobilizing "all available policy tools" to tackle the new coronavirus and minimize damage from it, the foreign ministry said. The foreign ministers from the group of South Korea, Mexico, Indonesia, Turkey and Australia, known as MIKTA, an acronym of the countries' initials, issued a joint statement to call for robust global cooperation i

April 9, 2020

S. Korea to cancel short-term visas, halt visa waivers for 90 countries

South Korea on Thursday said it will invalidate short-term visas for all foreign nationals starting Monday. It will also temporarily halt visa waiver programs for 90 countries that bar entry to Koreans, amid concerns over a growing number of coronavirus infections coming from overseas. 　 The new restrictions are due to come into effect at midnight on April 13 at the port of departure, according to a joint press release from the foreign and justice ministries. 　 The officials said the number o

April 9, 2020

3 Vietnamese students likely to be deported for violating self-quarantine rules

The Justice Ministry said Thursday that it is considering deporting three Vietnamese students from South Korea for violating self-quarantine rules. The students, who have been in two-week self-isolation, allegedly went to a park in Gunsan, around 270 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on April 3 and stayed there for five hours, according to the ministry. They left their mobile phones at their residences to avoid GPS tracking by local health authorities. But officials found out about their absence

April 9, 2020

[Newsmaker] US ambassador to South Korea is discussing plans to resign: sources

US Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris has said privately that he does not plan to stay on beyond the November US presidential election, regardless of whether President Donald Trump wins another term, five sources told Reuters. Harris, a 40-year veteran of the US Navy who started in Seoul in 2018 after Trump appointed him, has expressed increasing frustration with the tensions and drama of his tenure, the sources said, all speaking on condition of anonymity because of the diplomatic sensiti

April 9, 2020

Seoul extends expiring visas as pandemic continues

South Korea has extended visas for foreigners set to expire soon to prevent them from visiting immigration offices amid the coronavirus pandemic, the justice ministry said Thursday. Under the move, visas for around 60,000 registered foreign nationals that are set to expire by May 31 have been automatically extended by three months, the ministry said in a press release. The ministry said it expects the visa extension to help reduce the number of visitors at immigration offices and prevent trip

April 9, 2020

3 S. Korean firms sign contracts to supply coronavirus test kits to US

Three South Korean companies have inked contracts with the US government to export coronavirus test kits, with shipments likely to take place next week, a foreign ministry official said Wednesday. The companies won interim approval last month from the US Food and Drug Administration for the exports, after US President Donald Trump voiced hope to import Korean-made medical equipment to fight the COVID-19 pandemic during a phone call with President Moon Jae-in. "The process of the compan

April 8, 2020

S. Korean, Finnish foreign ministers hold talks on coronavirus cooperation

The top diplomats of South Korea and Finland held talks on ways to expand cooperation to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus, the foreign ministry here said Wednesday. The phone conversation between Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her Finnish counterpart, Pekka Haavisto, came about as Seoul received recognition for effectively coping with the COVID-19 pandemic and sharing its experience with other countries. Haavisto said South Korea has worked closely with his country on matters o

April 8, 2020

S. Korea to host online seminar to share anti-virus know-how with foreign countries

South Korea will host an online seminar this week to share its coronavirus containment measures and know-how with foreign countries, a foreign ministry official said Wednesday. The video presentation, slated for late Thursday, comes as an increasing number of foreign countries has been seeking to benchmark various quarantine steps South Korea has taken to stem the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak. Attending the seminar to be hosted by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute will be som

April 8, 2020

Seoul to suspend visa waivers for countries that ban entry on South Koreans

South Korea will temporarily stop visa waiver programs for countries that bar entry to Koreans, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun announced Wednesday, amid concerns over a growing number of coronavirus infections coming from overseas.   The government will also step up entry restrictions on foreigners traveling for reasons that are not essential or urgent, the prime minister said.  　  “While we maintain the principle of openness, the government will strengthen (entry) re

April 8, 2020

Top diplomats of S. Korea, UAE hold phone talks over coronavirus response

The top diplomats of South Korea and the United Arab Emirates held phone talks Tuesday over bilateral cooperation in fighting the new coronavirus, the foreign ministry here said. The conversation between Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her UAE counterpart, Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, came after South Korea shipped 51,000 coronavirus sampling kits in emergency exports to the Middle Eastern country last month. The UAE foreign minister expressed gratitude for Korea's cooperation in respond

April 7, 2020

Moon wishes for British prime minister's recovery

South Korean President Moon Jae-in sent a message Tuesday to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is receiving medical treatment for novel coronavirus. Moon wrote, in English, on his social media account, "I was struck by the news that you had been admitted to intensive care," recalling that Johnson seemed to be "in good shape" two weeks earlier when he took part in the virtual summit of the Group of 20 major economies on the pandemic. Moon added, "I send my best

April 7, 2020