WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump said Monday that South Korea did a "good job" handling the coronavirus outbreak but also had "tremendous problems" at the start. Trump made the remark at a White House press briefing as he defended his own administration's response to the growing outbreak in the United States. "I noticed a lot of people are talking about South Korea because they've done a good job on one side, but on the other side, tremendous problems at the be

Foreign Affairs March 17, 2020

South Korean exports to China have been picking up in March as the new coronavirus retreats in the neighboring country, data showed Tuesday. Daily exports to the world's second-largest economy averaged $436 million during the first 10 days of this month, up 20.8 percent from the same period in February, according to the data from the government and industry sources. Yet the daily average was down 8.2 percent from the same period a year earlier. Daily exports to China soared to $530 million in

Business March 17, 2020

The National Assembly is set to handle an extra budget bill Tuesday that is designed to strengthen quarantine measures and minimize the economic fallout from the new coronavirus. Rival parties earlier agreed to handle the proposal by Tuesday, the last day of the current extraordinary parliamentary session, amid an urgency to back up the government's efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19. The government submitted an 11.7 trillion-won ($9.53 billion) supplementary budget bill to the Nationa

Politics March 17, 2020

연예가에 코로나19 점점 확산…'본드걸' 여배우도 확진 신종 코로나바이러스 감염증(코로나19)이 확산하자 미국 유명 스타들도 잇따라 사회적 거리 두기와 자발적인 격리 생활에 나섰다고 16일(현지시간) 로이터통신이 보도했다. 영화 '터미네이터' 시리즈의 주연 배우이자 캘리포니아 주지사를 지낸 아널드 슈워제네거는 자신의 트위터에 동영상을 올려 "가능한 한 집에 있어야 한다"며 "전문가 말을 듣고, 바보들을 무시하라"고 말했다. 슈워제네거는 집 식탁에 앉아 자신이 키우는 조랑말에게 먹이를 주면서 이 영상을 찍었다. 그는 "외출하지 말고, 식당에도 가지 말라"며 "더는 (외출과 같은) 그런 것을 하지 말라"고 당부했다. 팝 스타들도 팬들을 향해 사회적 거리 두기를 호소했다. 테일러 스위프트는 소셜미디어에 글을 올려 "많은 모임과 파티가 여전히 진행되고 있지만, 지금은 가능한 한 격리 생

한국어판 March 17, 2020

할리우드 스타 중 처음으로 신종 코로나바이러스 감염증(코로나19) 확진 판정을 받고 입원했던 톰 행크스 부부가 16일(현지시간) 퇴원했다. 미국 잡지 피플은 행크스(63)와 그의 아내 리타 윌슨(63)이 호주 퀸즐랜드주에 있는 병원에서 치료를 받은 뒤 확진 판정 5일 만에 병원을 나와 자가 격리에 들어갔다고 보도했다. 행크스 부부는 현재 호주에서 집을 빌려 머물고 있다. 행크스는 지난주 트위터를 통해 영화 촬영차 호주에 머무는 자신과 아내가 코로나19 양성 판정을 받았다고 밝혔다. 이들 부부는 몸이 조금 피곤하고, 미열과 함께 몸살 증세가 있어 검사를 받았다가 확진 사실을 알게 됐다고 전했다. 행크스 부부는 엘비스 프레슬리 전기영화 촬영을 위해 호주 동부의 골드코스트를 방문했었다. 이 영화에서 행크스는 프레슬리의 오랜 매니저 톰 파커 역을 맡았다. 영화 관계자에 따르면 그의 확진 사실이 알려진 뒤 영화 촬영은 중단됐고, 세트장에 있던 모든 이들이 자가격리 중이다. (연합

한국어판 March 17, 2020

South Korea's exports of farm goods to China fell 6.7 percent in the first two months of the year due to the spread of the novel coronavirus, government data showed Tuesday. Shipments of agricultural and livestock products to the neighboring country came to $138 million in the January-February period, compared with $148 million during the same period a year earlier, according to the data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The cumulative decline follows a 22.5 percent o

Economy March 17, 2020

The US State Department on Monday reiterated its commitment to a "fair and equitable" agreement on defense cost-sharing with South Korea as the two sides are set to continue negotiations this week. Jeong Eun-bo, Seoul's chief negotiator, will meet with his American counterpart, James DeHart, in Los Angeles on Tuesday and Wednesday for a seventh round of talks on renewing the allies' Special Measures Agreement. The US has warned that some 9,000 Korean workers on its military bases wi

Defense March 17, 2020

A civilian intruded into an Army outpost in the capital area Monday, officials said, in the latest in a series of similar cases that have sparked criticism of the military's lax security.  The man in his 50s dug under the fence surrounding an air defense outpost in Siheung, south of Seoul, at around 12:40 p.m. and went inside, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).  After questioning him, the authorities dismissed the possibility of espionage and sent him to the police for fu

Defense March 16, 2020

The minister of oceans and fisheries became the first South Korean Cabinet member to go into self-isolation Monday, following recent coronavirus infections at the government complex in the central city of Sejong. Health authorities have advised Minister Moon Seong-hyeok to work from his residence until March 24 after he was found to have had contact with a ministry official who tested positive, according to ministry officials. Moon himself has tested negative. The oceans ministry, headquarter

Social Affairs March 16, 2020

신종 코로나바이러스(코로나19) 대규모 확진 사태가 발생한 성남 은혜의 강 교회에서 예배에 참석한 사람들을 소독한다며 입에 일일이 분무기로 소금물을 뿌린 것이 감염 확산의 주요 원인이라는 지적이 나왔다. 이희영 경기도 코로나19 긴급대책단 공동단장은 16일 "이달 1일과 8일 이 교회의 예배 CCTV를 확인한 결과, 교회 측이 두날 모두 예배당 입구에서 예배를 보러온 사람들 입에 분무기를 이용해 소금물을 뿌린 것을 확인했다"며 "이는 잘못된 정보로 인한 인포데믹(infodemic·정보감염증) 현상으로 본다"고 말했다. 감염병 대처에 대한 잘못된 정보로 인해 감염이 더욱 확산됐다는 것이다. 그는 이어 "이 교회 신도인 서울 광진구 확진자 입에 분무기로 소금물을 뿌리는 것이 확인됐고, 이 분무기를 소독하지 않은 채 다른 예배 참석자들의 입에 계속 뿌리는 모습도 확인돼 확진자가 더 나올 수밖에 없는 상황"이라고 설명했

한국어판 March 16, 2020

A South Korean minor league baseball player is awaiting the result of his test for the novel coronavirus after reporting to Monday's practice with a fever. The Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization said Monday one player with their Futures League affiliate, Goyang Heroes, had a fever of 38.3 C when he was checked before entering the team's practice facility in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, just west of Seoul. The player, whose identity is being withheld, was immediately tested at a nea

Baseball March 16, 2020

Having canceled the inaugural Seoul leg of its new world concert tour series, "Map of the Soul Tour," K-pop boy band BTS is at risk of having part of the following American leg rolled back amid the ongoing coronavirus spread in the United States. The septet was to kick off the new world tour series in mid-April in Seoul with four concerts at Olympic Stadium. But the band's management agency, Big Hit Entertainment, canceled the inaugural Seoul leg in late February when COVID-19 showed

K-pop March 16, 2020

Korean Air Lines Co., South Korea's biggest airline by sales, said Monday it has begun to use passenger jets to transport cargo on suspended routes amid the spreading coronavirus outbreak. Korean Air initially started to use grounded passenger aircraft to deliver cargo on routes to Ho Chi Minh City of Vietnam and Qingdao of China on Friday, the company said in a statement.  "The company is in talks with aviation authorities to expand the alternative use of passenger jets as cargo

Industry March 16, 2020

More South Korean companies are ramping up virus prevention measures for their upcoming shareholder meetings by adopting electronic voting to join the country's efforts to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus. Of the some 2,300 listed firms here, a total of 314 companies, including Samsung Electronics Co. and Hyundai Motor Co., will hold shareholder meetings this week amid concerns of COVID-19 infections. South Korea has so far reported more than 8,200 coronavirus cases.  Accordi

Industry March 16, 2020

South Korea hopes the leaders of the Group of 20 nations will hold a teleconference for international coordination on ways to overcome the economic crisis, not just for the purpose of sharing its widely lauded response to the COVID-19 outbreak, Cheong Wa Dae said Monday. President Moon Jae-in floated the idea in phone talks with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, last Friday. Chung Eui-yong, director of national security at Cheong Wa Dae, also had a phone conversation with US National S

Foreign Affairs March 16, 2020