The Latest Breaking News from South Korea

China introduced transit curbs for South Korean and Japanese nationals on Wednesday, in an escalating diplomatic spat over COVID-19 curbs that is marring the grand re-opening of the world's second-largest economy after three years of isolation. China removed quarantine mandates for inbound travelers on Sunday, one of the last vestiges…

Beijing said on Wednesday that it would scrap visa-free transit for South Korean and Japanese citizens, stepping up a diplomatic tit-for-tat after both countries placed travel curbs on visitors from China.

South Korea and the United States will hold tabletop exercises next month involving the American extended deterrence effort as the allies move to better counter the North's nuclear threats, South Korea's defence minister said on Wednesday.

China's recent decision to suspend the issue of short-term visas in South Korea was "deeply regrettable", the South's Foreign Minister Park Jin said on Wednesday.

The World Health Organisation said a lack of data was making it challenging to help China manage the risks of a COVID-19 surge over the Lunar New Year holiday, as the world's second-largest economy reopens after three years of isolation.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol says the spike in North Korean missile tests, growing nuclear ambitions and other provocative acts pose a “serious threat” that could spark a wider conflict

Beijing halts visa processing in South Korea and Japan in protest at what it says are "discriminatory" entry test rules imposed on travellers from China by a range of countries, including Australia.

The move came after Seoul and Tokyo introduced measures for visitors from China last month, including visa restrictions.

Japan, Singapore and South Korea issue the most powerful passports in the world, just ahead of Germany and Spain, and several places ahead of the UK in sixth place

Saeeduzzaman brings you the news from Delhi, Assam, West Bengal, South Korea, and China.

The Chinese embassy in South Korea has suspended issuing short-term visas for South Korean visitors, it said on Tuesday.