WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he spoke with South Korea and Italy about the spread of the coronavirus in those countries. Trump made the remark during a press conference in New Delhi, India, as he talked about US cooperation with China over the virus, which has infected more than 80,000 people around the world, mostly in China. "I spoke to (Chinese) President Xi (Jinping) the other day. He is so committed to solving that problem. He is working very hard. He i

WASHINGTON -- The United States should stop demanding that South Korea pay significantly more for the American troop presence in the country, two US senators said Tuesday. Sens. Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Edward Markey (D-MA) issued the call during a hearing looking back on the year since the February 2019 summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Hanoi, Vietnam. Both men lamented the lack of progress in North Korea's denuclearization and raised the importan

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry is urging partner countries to refrain from imposing rigorous entry restrictions against Korean nationals, amid concerns over the COVID-19 outbreak here. 　 The ministry explained Korea’s efforts to contain the novel coronavirus and request the countries refrain from taking excessive measures in a briefing session on Tuesday afternoon.  　  Kim Gunn, deputy foreign minister for political affairs, head the session held at the ministry in Seou

WASHINGTON -- The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday issued the highest type of travel health notice for South Korea, recommending that Americans avoid all nonessential travel to the country due to the spread of the coronavirus there. The Level 3 notice constitutes a "warning" to avoid all nonessential travel over the high risk posed to travelers by the outbreak and the absence of precautions to protect against the risk. The new action came only two days after t

CAIRO -- Some 400 South Korean tourists boarded two chartered flights in Israel on Monday after the Israeli government imposed an entry ban on South Koreans over concerns about the new coronavirus. The first plane carrying some 220 South Koreans departed Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport at around 4 p.m. The second plane left the airport at around 10 p.m., with 196 South Koreans aboard, according to the South Korean Embassy in Israel. The flights were arranged at the Israeli government's expense

GENEVA/SEOUL -- Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha has described Israel's recent entry ban on South Koreans over concerns of the new coronavirus as "excessive," noting Seoul's ongoing diplomacy to prevent such unwarranted restrictions.  Kang made the remarks as more than a dozen countries have imposed entry restrictions against visitors from South Korea that has so far reported 833 infections and eight fatalities despite its stepped-up containment efforts. "My assessment is

A U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) family member living in the southeastern city of Daegu has been confirmed to have the new coronavirus, USFK said Monday, marking the first case among a person related to the American military stationed here. South Korea's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) informed USFK that the 61-year-old female had tested positive for COVID-19, USFK said in a release. The patient is a U.S. national, an official said, adding that it was not immediately known how sh

South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo headed to the US capital Sunday for talks with the Pentagon chief on pending alliance issues.  Among the agenda items in talks between Jeong and US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, slated for Monday (local time), are a scheduled spring joint military exercise and preparations for the wartime operational control transition, according to defense officials here.  The allies reportedly agreed to stage the combined drills in early March. B

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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