South Korea said Wednesday it failed to make any significant progress in its marathon overnight talks with Japan on ending their nine-month trade dispute. The 16-hour talks that ended early Wednesday morning came amid fresh tensions between the neighbors after they virtually closed their borders against each other over the global outbreak of the new coronavirus. The travel restriction forced Lee Ho-hyeon, South Korea's director general for international trade policy, to hold a video confere

China’s decision to provide masks to South Korea while imposing tit-for-tat entry restrictions on Japanese nationals is highlighting Seoul-Beijing relations. From Tuesday, China temporarily halted its visa waiver program for Japanese nationals coming to China for tourism, to visit acquaintances or to change planes. Visa-free travel will still be allowed for Japanese visiting relatives in China or going there on business. The measure is thought to be a response to Japan’s latest

China will send the first batch of face masks and other coronavirus-related relief items to South Korea this week to help the neighboring country fight the viral disease, a foreign ministry official in Seoul said Tuesday. About 80,000 N95 respirator masks and 10,000 items of protective clothing will arrive here via a flight on Wednesday, the ministry official told reporters. Two more batches, including 20,000 masks of the same type and another 1 million surgical masks, will be delivered on Th

The government will begin fever checks and other health examinations this week on passengers heading to the United States, an official said Tuesday, amid rising concerns over the spread of the new coronavirus in America. Starting at midnight Wednesday, government officials will undertake the examinations, which have so far been conducted by airlines, to ensure they will proceed "in earnest and in a more systematic manner," the foreign ministry official said. It plans to install thre

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry raised the travel alert for two additional regions of Italy effective Monday, amid the fast-rising number of COVID-19 cases.  Seoul issued a “yellow warning,” which calls for travel restraint and is the third-highest in the country’s four-notch warning system, for Piedmont and Marche in Italy’s northwest and central east, respectively.  There are now five provinces in Italy with a “yellow warning,” including Lo

President Moon Jae-in ordered officials Tuesday to seek diplomatic consultations with countries imposing entry bans on South Koreans amid coronavirus concerns over ways to permit Korean businesspeople with health documents to be granted exceptions for entrance. The possession of a health condition report means that the outcome of COVID-19 tests is negative, according to Kang Min-seok, Cheong Wa Dae spokesman. The instruction came as a series of entry bans on people from South Korea makes it d

Four Japanese nationals without an entry visa for South Korea were not allowed to board an airplane bound for Seoul on Monday, the first day of the two countries' entry restrictions on each other's citizens, the Ministry of Justice said Tuesday. South Korea halted a 90-day visa-free entry program for Japanese nationals, effective Monday morning, over new coronavirus concerns, while Japan simultaneously implemented similar entry restrictions for South Koreans for the same reason. The ministry

All Thailand-bound air travelers from South Korea will be required to undergo fever checks at local airports, Seoul's transport ministry said Tuesday, in an effort to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. The mandatory move, which takes effect starting Wednesday, comes at the request of the Thai government to try to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The rule applies to passengers for all air carriers operating fli

A total of 109 countries and territories were imposing entry bans or tougher quarantine procedures for people from South Korea over coronavirus concerns Tuesday, up by three from the previous day, the foreign ministry said. As of 2 p.m., Norway, Slovakia and Rwanda have joined the list of countries and territories imposing stricter immigration controls and requiring or recommending self-quarantine, raising the tally to 49, according to the ministry website. Norway recommends a 14-day self-iso

South Korea and Japan on Tuesday met for the first time in three months to discuss their trade dispute amid dimmed hopes for reconciliation as the spread of the new coronavirus has led to more bilateral trust issues. The two countries started the director-general level video conference at 10:00 a.m. according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Officials from South Korea and Japan had planned to hold a face-to-face meeting in Seoul, but they later decided to hold a video conferenc

China is preparing to send masks and other relief items to South Korea to help the neighboring country fight the coronavirus, the foreign ministry said Monday. China plans to send about 1 million medical masks, 100,000 general face masks and 10,000 items of protective clothing to Korea through the Red Cross, the ministry said in a release. The two countries are discussing details, it said. The move came after South Korea delivered four batches of relief goods to a number of the virus-hit regi

South Korea plans to use a chartered flight to bring home about 80 citizens from Iran this week as the Middle Eastern country has seen a sharp rise in new coronavirus cases amid a shortage of medicine and protective gear, a foreign ministry official said Monday. Among about 220 South Koreans in Iran, some 80 citizens have applied to take the flight, the official said, as the number of COVID-19 cases in the country reportedly exceeded 6,500, with nearly 200 deaths as of Sunday. "We are ma

South Korea and Japan tightened border controls Monday over fears of the novel coronavirus, reigniting a long-standing spat.  Both countries suspended their 90-day visa waiver programs for each other, while deciding to invalidate visas already issued. Meanwhile, Japan mandates all visitors from Korea to go into quarantine for two weeks upon arrival. Seoul is also enforcing special entry procedures, including temperature checks and health examinations.  　 Flights between both countri

South Korea will provide US$3 million to the World Health Organization (WHO) to help global efforts to fight the new coronavirus, the foreign ministry said Monday, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha made the pledge during phone talks with WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus late Sunday, the ministry said in a text message to reporters, as COVID-19 cases have topped 109,000, with more than 3,700 deaths worldwide. During the phone talks, Kang also explained to the WHO chief Seoul's

South Korea and Japan began enforcing entry restrictions against each other's citizens ostensibly over new coronavirus concerns Monday, casting a pall over their relations already frayed by a protracted row over trade and wartime history. Tokyo suspended its visa waiver program for South Koreans and started asking them to stay at designated facilities for two weeks and refraining from using public transportation. Moreover, it allows flights from Korea to land only in Narita Airport near Tokyo