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

S. Korea, Japan to hold FM talks, trilateral meeting with US in Munich

The top diplomats of South Korea and Japan will hold bilateral talks and a tripartite meeting with their US counterpart on the margins of a security conference in Munich, Germany, this week, Seoul's foreign ministry said Friday. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha is set to meet bilaterally with her Japanese counterpart, Toshimitsu Motegi, on Saturday morning (Munich time) on the sidelines of the annual three-day Munich Security Conference, which will run through Sunday. On the same day, they als

Feb. 14, 2020

FM Kang heads to Munich for security forum

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha left for Germany on Thursday to attend the Munich Security Forum. 　 During the annual three-day security conference from Friday through Sunday, Kang is set to speak about South Korean diplomacy to strengthen multilateralism, as a panel member at the conference’s main session. 　 While in Munich, the minister could hold bilateral or trilateral meetings with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, who are also attend

Feb. 13, 2020

Senior Cheong Wa Dae official in Moscow over Putin's plan to visit S. Korea

MOSCOW -- South Korea's Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Hyun-chong said Wednesday he would discuss the details of Russian President Vladimir Putin's upcoming trip to South Korea and other pending issues related to Seoul-Moscow ties as he began a three-day stay here. "There are pending bilateral issues. (This year) marks the 30th anniversary of (South Korea and Russia) establishing diplomatic relations. And there's a matter to discuss in connection with President Putin's visit to Sout

Feb. 13, 2020

GSOMIA still 'viable option' for S. Korea: Cheong Wa Dae

Maintaining South Korea's agreement with Japan on exchanging military information is a "viable option" depending on the neighboring country's attitude on its export control against Seoul, a Cheong Wa Dae official said Wednesday. The official was responding to a news report that the office of President Moon Jae-in is pushing for the scrapping of the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) amid no meaningful progress in related consultations between the two sides.

Feb. 12, 2020

Trump plans to name No. 2 NK envoy as representative to UN

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump plans to nominate the No. 2 US envoy for North Korea as a representative to the United Nations, the White House said Tuesday. Alex Wong, currently the deputy US special representative for North Korea, has been tapped to serve as the US alternative representative for special political affairs at the global body, with the rank of ambassador, the White House said in a press release. The planned nomination adds to uncertainty about the future of denucleariz

Feb. 12, 2020

S. Korea expands strict quarantine screenings to Hong Kong, Macao

South Korea said Tuesday it will apply strict quarantine screening to entrants from Hong Kong and Macao, in addition to those who arrive from mainland China. Currently, entrants from China are asked to fill out health questionnaires to check whether they have fever or respiratory problems. Foreigners are required to write a special quarantine report, providing their mobile phone numbers and domestic stay addresses and disclosing any visit to Hubei Province -- the epicenter of the global outb

Feb. 11, 2020