SEOUL, Jan. 29 (Yonhap) -- A minor earthquake detected in northeast North Korea on Wednesday morning is presumed to be a natural tremor induced by its nuclear test in 2017, Seoul's meteorological office said. The magnitude 2.5 quake occurred at 9:33 a.m. about 3 kilometers southeast of the North's now shuttered Pungye-ri nuclear test site, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said. The North carried out at least six nuclear tests there, including the latest and most powerful explosion on Sept. 3, 2017. The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said the quake is presumed to be the latest in a number of natural tremors caused by altered seismicity in the wake of the nuclear test. "The terrain of the area was so solid that there were no natural earthquakes before the sixth nuclear test," a KMA official said. "As the nuclear test's energy affected the geological features of the area, natural earthquakes have continued to occur," he added. Since the 20

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(ATTN: ADDS photo, more info in paras 7-10, 14) By Song Sang-ho SEOUL, Jan. 29 (Yonhap) -- U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) has begun sending a 60-day notice of potential furloughs to its nearly 9,000 South Korean employees, officials said Wednesday, in an apparent move to further pressure Seoul to pay more for stationing American troops here. The notice came as South Korea and the United States have engaged in grueling negotiations over how much Seoul should pay this year and beyond for the upkeep of the 28,500-strong USFK under the cost-sharing deal, called the Special Measures Agreement (SMA). The previous one-year SMA expired on Dec. 31 -- one reason why the allies have been under pressure to clinch a new SMA. They last held negotiations in Washington earlier this month, but failed to reconcile their differences. "Due to the 2019 Special Measures Agreement lapse and the continued absence of a subsequent agreement, United States Forces Korea began providing Korean National emplo

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(ATTN: UPDATES with more info in paras 5-6) SEOUL, Jan. 28 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will send four chartered flights to the central Chinese city of Wuhan from Thursday to Friday to bring home its nationals, government officials said, amid concerns about the spread of a new coronavirus. Some 700 South Koreans are expected to board the planes, and consultations are under way with Chinese authorities to arrange details for the emergency evacuation, Second Vice Foreign Minister Lee Tae-ho said at a press briefing after an emergency ministerial meeting. "The decision was made as the new coronavirus that erupted in China has been spreading fast, and based on comprehensive consideration of the fact that the Chinese government has suspended flights and transportation in Wuhan and its surrounding regions and also that medical supplies are becoming limited," Lee said. Those evacuees will be quarantined before they board the planes and put into isolation at two unidentified government

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(ATTN: UPDATES with more remarks by Rood in last 8 paras) By Lee Haye-ah WASHINGTON, Jan. 28 (Yonhap) -- A senior U.S. defense official on Tuesday voiced support for a peace declaration between the United States and North Korea, saying such an agreement would be beneficial to Washington if it can be negotiated. John Rood, under secretary of defense for policy, was commenting on the possibility the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump could offer a peace declaration as part of a denuclearization deal with the North. In particular, he was asked by Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) of the House Armed Services Committee if the U.S. could first agree to a peace declaration before negotiating the details of North Korea's denuclearization. "From the Defense Department perspective ... if something like that could be negotiated with the North Koreans we would see that as being a beneficial thing," Rood told a committee hearing, noting that it is up to the State Department to deci

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(ATTN: ADDS more info throughout and photo) By Kim Han-joo SEOUL, Jan. 28 (Yonhap) -- Despite enhanced quarantine efforts, concerns are rising here that the Wuhan coronavirus may spread across the country as some patients confirmed to be infected with the virus have not been adequately screened at airports and have been in contact with citizens here. According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) on Monday, a 55-year-old South Korean man who returned from the Chinese city of Wuhan on Jan. 20 tested positive for the new strain of virus, raising the number of confirmed cases here to the four. The health agency said the total number of confirmed cases of pneumonia-like sickness stood at four as of early Tuesday, unchanged from the day before. It also said that so far 97 people suspected of being infected with the new virus strain have been screened and released from isolation after results turned out negative. The fourth patient, who had not

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SEOUL, Jan. 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korea said Wednesday it will foot the bill for fighting the Wuhan coronavirus in the country and treating infected patients. Under the rules on countermeasures for new infectious diseases, the state will pay for all expenses related to the screening of suspected cases and treatment of those infected, which includes costs associated with isolating a person in a negative pressure room, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare. "The state will pay for everything from the moment a person is admitted to a medical facility until he or she is discharged, with the only exception being if the person gets a checkup for other, non-virus related illnesses," it said The ministry did not say how much the move will cost taxpayers but said the DNA testing needed to determine if a person has the China coronavirus costs over 100,000 won (US$85), with drug treatment, hospital beds and the special equipment needed to monitor an infected person likely to

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(ATTN: RECASTS headline, lead; UPDATES with minor edits in paras 3-7) SEOUL, Jan. 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's health authorities said Wednesday they have not diagnosed additional cases of the new coronavirus in the country but are monitoring 28 other potential cases amid heightened quarantine rules. So far, the country has confirmed four cases of the novel virus, with the latest one reported Monday. According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), 187 people have experienced signs of the new virus strain since Jan. 3, and 155 have tested negative and been released from observation and isolation. Of the four confirmed cases, the first was reported Jan. 20, with the others coming Friday, Sunday and Monday. Authorities said they are keeping close tabs on the 387 citizens who may have come in contact with those infected. The third and fourth patients were asymptomatic upon arrival here from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the fast-spread

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SEOUL, Jan. 28 (Yonhap) -- With classes resuming Tuesday after a monthlong winter vacation, local schools are on alert amid growing concerns over the new coronavirus. Many children were seen wearing masks as they went to school or kindergarten, while some parents of preschool children said they plan to stay home with their children for the time being. "I'm worried that some kids went to Ilsan or Pyeongtaek (during the Lunar New Year's holiday), where coronavirus patients were found to have visited," said a 36-year-old mother standing with her 5-year-old daughter at a kindergarten in Mapo in western Seoul. "There's a lot of moms saying they won't send their kids to kindergarten for some time." A 26-year-old mother who lives in Guri, south of Seoul, said she plans to stay at home with her preschool child. "Contagious diseases spread very quickly at nurseries. I'm planning to stay at home with my child for a week," she said. The sentiment was also strong online, wh

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SEOUL, Jan. 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's health authorities said Wednesday that they have not diagnosed any additional cases of the new coronavirus in the country but are monitoring 15 other potential cases amid heightened quarantine rules. So far, the country has confirmed four cases of the novel virus, with the latest one reported on Monday. According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), 112 people experienced signs of the new virus strain, and 97 have tested negative and been released from observation and isolation. The agency will provide more details about ongoing tests on suspected cases later in the day. Of the four confirmed cases, the first was reported on Jan. 20, with the others coming on Friday, Sunday and Monday. Authorities said they are also keeping close tabs on people who may have come in contact with those infected. Of the four cases, the third and fourth patients were asymptomatic upon arrival here from the Chinese ci

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(ATTN: ADDS ministry's comments, more info in 6th and last 2 paras) By Koh Byung-joon SEOUL, Jan. 29 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's official newspaper called Wednesday for a nationwide drive to stem the spread of the new coronavirus, calling such preventive efforts an "important political matter" that could affect national existence. North Korean media outlets have reported almost daily on the fast-spreading outbreaks of the pneumonia-like illness in China and other nations, and Pyongyang's measures to keep the virus from spreading into the country, though it has not confirmed any case of its own. "All party organizations should regard efforts of blocking the spread of the new coronavirus as an important political matter that has to do with national existence and strengthen (relevant) political activity," the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the North's ruling party, said in an article. The paper also urged party organizations to make "active efforts" on medical supervis

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