Around 600 South Korean nationals in Italy are set to be evacuated on government charter flights home next week, as the grim tally of coronavirus cases and deaths continues to surge. 　 There are 151 people in Rome and 430 in Milan who will fly on the charter flights, according to Seoul’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday. A majority of the passengers are Korean citizens and some are foreign family members. 　 The Korean government will send two flights to the country -- one will depart next

US Forces Korea began notifying 5,000 South Korean employees Wednesday that they would be furloughed starting next month, officials said, as defense cost-sharing talks between the two countries remain stalled. The two sides have been negotiating a new Special Measures Agreement that stipulates how much Seoul should pay for the upkeep of the 28,500-strong USFK. Salaries of about 9,000 South Korean employees are also funded under the agreement. The latest round of negotiations took place last w

US President Donald Trump expressed hope Tuesday, in a phone conversation with President Moon Jae-in, that South Korea could provide medical equipment support, according to Cheong Wa Dae. Moon replied that his government would provide "maximum support" if available, as the two leaders discussed bilateral cooperation in the fight against the novel coronavirus pandemic. He then pointed out that approval by the Food and Drug Administration might be required. In response, Trump said he

US President Donald Trump boasted Tuesday that the United States has tested more people for the coronavirus in eight days than South Korea did in eight weeks. Trump sounded jubilant after Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, shared the statistics during a virtual town hall hosted by Fox News at the White House. The lack of testing and test kits has added to criticism of the Trump administration's response to the fast-growing pandemic in the country. "And I

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump exchanged views over the phone Tuesday on bilateral cooperation in the fight against the novel coronavirus, Cheong Wa Dae said. In the 23-minute conversation, made at Trump‘s “urgent request,” Moon said the two countries’ recent currency swap agreement, worth $60 billion, was a “very timely” measure to help stabilize the international financial market. Held two days ahead of the Group of 20 sp

South Korean President Moon Jae-in stressed the need for a “unified message” from this week‘s teleconference by the leaders of the Group of 20 nations on the coronavirus pandemic, during his telephone conversation with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Tuesday. He held out expectations for in-depth discussions on international cooperation in both quarantine and the economy during the “special summit” to be held on Thursday, according to Cheong Wa Dae. Moon

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday the Group of 20 leaders will hold a “timely” teleconference on the coronavirus crisis, as international coordination is urgently needed to tackle the pandemic. In phone talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, Moon said the Middle Eastern nation is credited with a “speedy response” to set up the session slated for Thursday. It holds the G-20 presidency this year. “Now that the coronavirus is spre

US Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris said Tuesday he is working from home in accordance with the host government‘s social distancing guidelines. “I’d like to offer my sincere thanks to all South Koreans on the front line, who are working tirelessly to flatten the curve of coronavirus. Let me just say that we are all in this together,” he said in the message posted on his Twitter account. Behind him in the video were desktop monitors in what appeared to be his pri

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha will explain South Korea's efforts to fight the new coronavirus and call for global solidarity in ending the pandemic in a videoconference of the World Economic Forum (WEF) this week, her office said Tuesday. On Wednesday (Korea time), Kang is set to join a video-linked session related to the COVID-19 Action Platform, a WEF initiative launched earlier this month to galvanize collective action in responding to the virus. "Minister Kang plans to explain the

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha spoke by phone with her Dutch counterpart, Stef Blok, Monday and discussed ways to cope with the global spread of the new coronavirus, her ministry said. 　 In the telephone talks, made at the Netherlands‘ request, Kang explained that although Korea has seen a marked decline in daily new infection cases, the country has been actively taking measures to prevent the inflow of COVID-19 from overseas and community transmission. 　 Blok praised Korea’s effec

A foreign ministry official on Monday left open the possibility of a change in South Korea's policy to shoulder all coronavirus quarantine costs for people flying from overseas, as more countries quarantine inbound travelers at their own expense. The South Korean government has so far covered all the costs of its beefed-up quarantine program for both citizens and foreigners, fueling criticism that the efforts to curb imported infections could chip away at state coffers. "We are closely m

Around 200 South Korean nationals stranded in Peru after the country sealed its borders and halted all flights amid the global coronavirus pandemic will be able to return home on a charter flight this week. 　 The flight, operated by Mexican airline Aeromexico, is set to take off from Lima on Thursday afternoon and arrive at Incheon International Airport, according to the Korean Embassy in Peru on Monday. 　 The total number of passengers has yet to be confirmed but is estimated to be around 20

South Korea is exploring ways to provide humanitarian support to Iran to help its fight against the new coronavirus, the foreign ministry said Monday, as the Middle East country struggles with shortages of medical supplies under US sanctions. Seoul's consideration appears to have accelerated after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani reportedly sent a letter to South Korean President Moon Jae-in earlier this month to request 3.2 million COVID-19 diagnostic kits and other quarantine supplies. &quo

South Korea is considering sending a chartered flight to South Sudan to bring back some of its peacekeeping troops amid coronavirus concerns, the defense ministry said Monday. About 210 rotational troops of the 270-strong Hanbit Unit are expected to return home without replacement, after the African country asked Seoul and other foreign countries not to send fresh troops in the wake of the spread of the COVID-19 virus across the globe. "We have had close consultations with the host natio

South Korea recorded fewer than 100 new daily virus cases again on Sunday, but health authorities remained on high alert over new cluster infections and imported cases, mainly from Europe. The 98 new COVID-19 cases, which were detected Saturday, brought the nation's total number of infections to 8,897, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). The daily infection rate had been in the double digits last week, except for the 152 new cases reported on Wednesday and