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

A Seoul court on Friday issued an arrest warrant for a former public service worker for allegedly making illegal inquiries into personal information of hundreds of people and leaking that information to the leader of a high-profile digital sexual exploitation ring. The Seoul Central District Court approved the prosecution's request to arrest the former public service worker identified only as 26-year-old Choi, saying there is probable cause to detain him for violating the Personal Information

A walkthrough virus screening center for overseas entrants opened at a major sports complex in southeastern Seoul on Friday amid a continued increase in imported cases. The screening center, which Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon claimed could test up to 1,000 people per day, was set up at Seoul Sports Complex, the site of the 1986 Asian Games and 1988 Summer Olympics. On the first day of operation, the screening venue appeared mostly quiet, with around 10 people visiting during a two-hour slot. V

South Korea is expected to extend its strict social distancing drive amid a steady rise in mass infections and imported cases of the novel coronavirus. The government launched the two-week campaign on March 22, urging people to keep a safe distance from each other by putting off all meetings, avoiding crowds and working from home to minimize contact. The drive is set to end on Sunday but officials have hinted at the possibility of extending the period, given the current trend of new COVID-1

Vietnam said Friday that it is seeking to hold a video summit with South Korea, China, Japan and fellow Southeast Asian nations in early April to discuss the coronavirus issue. In phone talks with President Moon Jae-in, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said his country is looking forward holding the session in cooperation with South Korea, according to Cheong Wa Dae. Vietnam serves as chair of this year's ASEAN meetings. Moon replied that it's "very timely" to arrange the

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.

South Korea, one of the first countries hit by novel coronavirus outside China, marked a grim coronavirus milestone Friday when the virus toll surpassed 10,000 -- 74 days after the first case was reported. 　 Grim as it may look, the crossing of the 10,000 mark came amid a stabilizing trend of new infections. The country counted 86 new cases in the 24 hours to midnight Thursday, markedly down from a peak of 909 on Feb 29. Of the 10,062 people infected with the virus, 6,021 have fully reco

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

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recorded 86 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, taking the country’s tally to 10,062. The death toll rose by five to 174. The number of cases surpassed the 10,000 mark 74 days after a Chinese woman from Wuhan, the global origin of the novel coronavirus pandemic, was tested positive for the first time on Jan. 20. Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Friday he expected that the inflow of virus cases from abroad will come under control soon.

Seoul City said on Friday it will close seven bus stops around Yunjung-ro, a street lined with cherry blossoms that attract visitors in Yeouido, this weekend in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19. The bus-stop closures, which lead to temporary detours on 17 bus routes, are a follow-up to the city’s decision to close the area from April 1-10 to keep springtime picnickers from flocking. Bus stops at Yeouido Full Gospel Church (bus stop numbers 19136, 19137), Yeouido Park (19138), Yeouina

Concerns are rising that a public bath in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, may have become the site of a COVID-19 infection cluster as at least four people who used it have been confirmed with the virus. A 70-year-old woman who used the same public bath with a 67-year-old woman confirmed earlier was confirmed to have been infected with the novel coronavirus Friday. A high school student and a woman in her 50s, who were confirmed a day earlier, were also found to have used the same public bath -- th

Ahn Cheol-soo, head of the centrist People’s Party, called on political parties to return campaign subsidies they received from the government, saying the coronavirus pandemic has dampened conventional campaigning activities, bringing down overall costs. 　 “Our economy is in a total disarray and many people are pushed to their limits. (...) Are we going to spend all the taxpayers’ money at a time like this? Are we even entitled?” the politician wrote on Facebook on Frid