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

Moon’s ‘telephone diplomacy’ continues in wake of pandemic

President Moon Jae-in continued telephone conversations with foreign leaders on Tuesday, in a sign of the bolstered profile of the country amid the deepening global COVID-19 pandemic. On Tuesday, he spoke with Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia and President Andrzej Duba of Poland, continuing the series of telephone conversations. Moon has spoken with leaders of 19 countries since Feb. 20, when he held a phone conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The other leaders include

April 7, 2020

Cheong Wa Dae still seeks Xi Jinping's 'early visit' to S. Korea: official

South Korea said Tuesday it is continuing consultations with China on an "early visit" here by President Xi Jinping, dismissing a news report that the two sides have retracted a related accord amid the prolonged coronavirus outbreak. Xi has agreed to travel to South Korea in the first half of the year for talks with President Moon Jae-in. The exact schedule has not been announced yet. The Chosun Ilbo, a major Seoul-based daily, reported that Xi would postpone the trip to the latter

April 7, 2020

Peru seeks S. Korea's coronavirus test kits: Cheong Wa Dae

Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra said Monday his country is in urgent need of South Korea's coronavirus test kits and pledged to make every effort for the health and safety of South Koreans there, according to Cheong Wa Dae. Speaking over the phone with President Moon Jae-in for about 20 minutes, Vizcarra said Peru is suffering "the most difficult situation" in fighting the virus, and a tougher road may lie ahead. Citing South Korea's quarantine-related decisions, he said, "We

April 6, 2020

Chinese visitors avoid South Korea amid virus crisis

Chinese travelers were totally absent from South Korean airports Saturday, amid toughened entry restrictions due to the novel coronavirus outbreak. 　 According to immigration data released by the Justice Ministry, not a single Chinese national went through immigration for the first time in 28 years. The two countries established bilateral relations in August 1992. 　 The average number of Chinese entering Korea per day was around 15,000 until January, when it began declining. It reached 464 on

April 6, 2020

Taiwanese woman deported for refusing to stay at quarantine facility

A Taiwanese woman has been deported from South Korea after refusing to stay at a quarantine facility, the justice ministry said Monday, reflecting the government's "zero-tolerance" approach against quarantine violators as infections here continue to rise. The woman, whose identity was withheld, was deported to Taiwan late Sunday after she disagreed with paying expenses to stay at a government-designated quarantine facility, according to the Ministry of Justice. To contain imported c

April 6, 2020

Some Koreans online criticize Vietnam‘s request for cooperation in virus fight

Critical comments online are accumulating after Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc proposed bilateral cooperation to tackle the novel coronavirus pandemic with President Moon Jae-in on Friday. In phone talks with Moon, Phuc proposed coordination in efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The Vietnamese leader told Moon that South Korea’s diagnostic testing on the coronavirus is drawing global attention as a model, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok. Phuc also

April 4, 2020

S. Korea, Germany vow cooperation in fighting coronavirus

South Korea shared its experience in fighting the coronavirus pandemic with Germany via a teleconference on Friday, Seoul's foreign ministry said. During the two-hour session, South Korean officials explained the country's anti-virus program, characterized by fast tracking, testing, quarantine and treatment, on the back of its advanced medical and communications infrastructure. The nation's containment efforts have recently gained international recognition due to a slowdown in new COVID-19

April 3, 2020

S. Korean diplomat charged with sexual assault in New Zealand: report

A New Zealand court has issued an arrest warrant for a South Korean diplomat on charges of sexual assault, a media report said Friday. The diplomat is suspected of assaulting a staff member at the South Korean Embassy in Wellington three times in late 2017, according to the New Zealand Herald. The warrant was issued on Feb. 28. The diplomat denied any wrongdoing during the embassy's internal probe, the report said. He left the embassy in 2018 and is now working as consul general in an Asia

April 3, 2020