South Korea will take additional measures to contain the spread of the new coronavirus, if needed, after checking the situation not only in China's Hubei Province but also in other areas, the prime minister said Wednesday. Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun's remarks apparently signal that the government could weigh the possibility for expanding its entry ban on foreigners who came from or through the ground-zero Chinese province in the past 14 days. "The government will take necessary measur

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Tuesday his country hopes to draw more investment from South Korea by taking advantage of a double taxation avoidance pact between the two sides. Meeting with President Moon Jae-in at Cheong Wa Dae, he stressed that bilateral relations are continuously developing as shown in the signing of the pact and an agreement on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters last November. “Especially, I am happy that the two nations signed the double taxation av

Diplomats from South Korea and Japan will meet in Seoul this week to continue working-level talks on a protracted row over wartime history and trade, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. Kim Jung-han, director-general for Asia and Pacific affairs, will meet with his Japanese counterpart, Shigeki Takizaki, on Thursday to discuss the pending issues, the ministry said in a release. Takizaki is expected to arrive in Seoul on Wednesday. This week‘s talks come about three weeks after their las

Travelers markedly fewer amid virus scare on first day of entry ban on China's virus-hit Hubei Province

Restricting only those from Hubei province not effective given spread of virus in other parts of China, experts say

South Korea has no plan to withdraw the last-remaining staff members from its consulate in the coronavirus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan, an official said Monday. Eight people are still working at the South Korean consulate general in Wuhan, the epicenter of the deadly virus outbreak under lockdown, including Vice Consul General Lee Kwang-ho serving as interim head of the mission, according to the foreign ministry. That is more than half of the entire workforce at the 14-member office, the minis

The Air Force said Monday that it has decided not to participate in an upcoming international airshow in Singapore as part of precautions against the new coronavirus. The Air Force's Black Eagles had planned to take part in the biennial Singapore Airshow 2020 from Feb. 11-16, but decided not to do so and notified Singapore of the decision, according to the military. "It is part of efforts to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus and to guarantee the safety of service personnel,&qu

South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo was set to depart for India on Monday to hold talks with his Indian counterpart to explore ways to further bilateral ties, his office said Monday. During the four-day official visit at the invitation of Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, Jeong will also attend DEFEXPO 2020, one of Asia's largest defense expos, set for Feb. 5-9 in the Indian city of Lucknow, according to his ministry. "During the visit, the two ministers will hold talks t

South Korea said Monday it plans to ask the European Union to review a safeguard measure against Korean-made steel products that went into effect last year. During the four-day meeting, set to kick off in Seoul on Tuesday, the two sides will discuss a variety of trade issues and review progress under their bilateral FTA, which went into effect in July 2011, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. In particular, Seoul plans to raise the issue of the latest safeguard measure im

South Korea will bar entry to all foreign nationals who have been in China’s Hubei province in the past two weeks, following a wave of countries imposing drastic travel bans as fears of the new coronavirus mount. 　 The restrictions, announced by Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun on Sunday after the country reported a 15th case, will go into effect Tuesday. 　 All foreigners who have visited the Chinese province, the epicenter of the deadly virus, from Jan. 21 will be subject to the entry ban,

Seoul's foreign ministry said Sunday it is not considering evacuating its diplomats from the coronavirus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan as more than 100 South Koreans are still residing in the affected area. "There are still South Korean residents in Wuhan, who have been staying in the city on a long-term basis," an official from South Korea's foreign ministry said. "Those people are calling for further support." A total of 701 South Koreans were evacuated from the Chinese city

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha held a dinner meeting with Seoul-based diplomats from the European Union this week to discuss efforts to stem the spread of a new coronavirus, bilateral ties and other issues, the foreign ministry said Friday. On Thursday, Kang hosted the gathering with more than two dozen diplomats, including EU Ambassador to South Korea Michael Reiterer, and voiced hope for close cooperation between South Korea and the EU through high-level exchanges. In particular, Kang use

South Korea will send a second chartered flight to the coronavirus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan late Friday to evacuate some 350 South Korean nationals out of the region under lockdown, the foreign ministry said. A Korean Air passenger jet is set to depart from Gimpo International Airport in western Seoul with a quick response team of around 20 medical and quarantine officials on board. It is expected to take off at 8:45 p.m. "We have received approval for the operation of a chartered plane

Vice Foreign Minister Cho Sei-young met with new Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming on Friday and discussed joint efforts to fight the new coronavirus and other bilateral issues, the foreign ministry said. Their first meeting came after a South Korean chartered flight brought home earlier in the day 368 nationals from China's Wuhan city, the epicenter of the highly contagious disease. Seoul is seeking to send another plane later tonight to evacuate the remaining 350. The new top

South Korea is in talks with Chinese authorities over its plan to send another flight to the coronavirus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan on Friday night to bring home its remaining citizens there, a foreign ministry official said. Kang Hyung-shik, head of the ministry's international safety management bureau, made the remarks hours after the first evacuation plane carrying nearly 370 South Koreans from the epicenter of the deadly virus arrived in Seoul. Currently about 350 citizens are awaiting evac