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

WHO chief requests Korea’s support for pandemic in Africa

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

South Korean officials will hold a videoconference with their German counterparts Friday to share the country's experience in battling the new coronavirus, a foreign ministry official said. The session, set to begin at 5 p.m. (Korea time), comes after the German government voiced hope to send a delegation to take a first-hand look at South Korea's containment efforts, which have recently gained international recognition due to a slowdown in new COVID-19 cases and a relatively low fatality rate.

Despite earlier reports that a defense cost-sharing deal between South Korea and the US was imminent, a senior US official said Friday the negotiations are still ongoing and reiterated a call for an “equitable” agreement.  “What I can tell you right now is that we are still in talks with each other -- my colleagues in my bureau and then of course at the ministerial level and higher,” R. Clarke Cooper, assistant secretary of state for political-military, said in a b

Vice Foreign Minister Cho Sei-young expressed hope Friday for international efforts to craft "criteria" to allow essential trips by entrepreneurs or other entrants despite the spread of the new coronavirus, the foreign ministry said. Cho's remarks came during a weekly conference call with his counterparts from six countries, including the United States and Japan, as many countries have banned the entry of foreigners and tightened border controls to stop any influx of COVID-19. "

South Korea's justice ministry said Friday it has implemented an administrative order that restricts the scope of activities for all foreign arrivals for the first time over the new coronavirus pandemic. The restriction order has begun to apply to all foreign entrants who have arrived in South Korea since Wednesday as the government is struggling to curb imported cases of COVID-19. A justice minister can issue an order to limit the scope of activity for foreigners when there is a need to keep

About 100 South Koreans returned home from coronavirus-hit Morocco on Friday on a special flight that the North African nation arranged to transport medical items from South Korea. Morocco had originally planned to send a cargo plane to South Korea to pick up the medical supplies related to COVID-19, but King Mohammed VI agreed to switch to a passenger jet at Seoul's request so as to help South Koreans in the country return home, officials said. The Royal Air Maroc plane carrying 105 people,

The leaders of South Korea and Denmark had phone talks Thursday on the coronavirus pandemic and a postponed international summit on climate change, Cheong Wa Dae said. In the conversation with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, President Moon Jae-in emphasized the importance of international coordination to terminate the COVID-19 outbreak at an early date, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok. Moon reaffirmed Seoul's willingness to share its relevant experience and clinical