By Kim Han-joo SEOUL, May 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will resume issuing short-term travel visas and e-visas starting June 1, officials said Thursday, more than two years after suspending all new applications due to the pandemic. The justice ministry said the decision is aimed at bringing in more foreign tourists to boost domestic consumption and invigorate related industries after South Korea lifted nearly all COVID-19 social distancing restrictions. A short-term general C-3 visa allows foreigners to enter the country for tourism, transit, visiting relatives or similar reasons and to stay here for up to 90 days. The short-term visa has only been issued for the purpose of diplomacy, government affairs, or other kinds of humanitarian reasons over the past two years. An e-visa is issued online for foreigners with excellent talents or group tourists, the ministry said. "The influx of foreign tourists will boost domestic demand and invigorate relevant industries, which w

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(ATTN: UPDATES with more remarks from Sullivan, minor edits in paras 17-23) By Byun Duk-kun WASHINGTON, May 18 (Yonhap) -- North Korea is widely expected to stage a long-range or nuclear test before or even during President Joe Biden's trip to South Korea and Japan, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Wednesday. He said the U.S. is fully prepared to make any necessary adjustments to U.S. defense posture to ensure the security of the U.S. and U.S allies. "With respect to the issue of North Korea, we have said from this podium, we said at the state department and we have indicated in quite clear terms that our intelligence does reflect the genuine possibility that there will be either a further missile test, including long range missile test, or a nuclear test or frankly both in the days leading into on or after the president's trip to the region," Sullivan said in a press briefing at the White House. "We are preparing for all contingencies, including the possib

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(ATTN: ADDS remarks, details in paras 9-11) By Lee Haye-ah SEOUL, May 18 (Yonhap) -- President Yoon Suk-yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden have a "plan B" ready to command the combined forces of the two countries in case North Korea carries out a major provocation during Biden's visit to Seoul this week, a presidential official said Wednesday. Biden is set to arrive in Seoul on Friday amid concern the North could conduct a nuclear test or launch an intercontinental ballistic missile around his three-day visit. "At the moment, we assess that the possibility is relatively low of North Korea carrying out a nuclear test by the weekend, but preparations for an intercontinental ballistic missile launch appear to be imminent," Kim Tae-hyo, first deputy chief of the presidential National Security Office, told reporters. "In the event of a North Korean provocation, big or small, during the three-day summit period, depending on its characteristics, we have prepared a plan B so t

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SEOUL, May 18 (Yonhap) -- Former President Moon Jae-in is set to return to the political spotlight about two weeks after his retirement, as he is expected to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden in Seoul this weekend, informed officials said Wednesday. Biden is scheduled to arrive in Seoul on Friday for a three-day visit and hold his first summit with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol the following day. Moon left office on May 9 after serving a five-year term and is now staying in his retirement home in the southeastern city of Yangsan. According to the officials, Moon's side has virtually confirmed his meeting with Biden and is now in the process of coordinating detailed schedules. With the Yoon-Biden summit currently scheduled for Saturday, it is highly likely Moon's meeting with the U.S. president will take place in Seoul on Sunday, they said. "The specific meeting schedule for Moon and Biden can still be changed, as it is known that the schedule for the South

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SUWON, South Korea, May 18 (Yonhap) -- A woman was sentenced to 30 years in prison Wednesday for killing her husband, for financial gain, with a lethal dose of nicotine. The wife in her late 30s was accused of poisoning her husband on May 26-27 last year by feeding him water, gruel and a mixed-grain beverage that contained a combined total of 3.7 milligrams of nicotine solution. The Suwon District Court found her guilty of murder and handed down a 30-year prison sentence. "The defendant had extramarital relations even though she had a spouse and killed the victim by making him eat food containing nicotine solution three times in order to collect the husband's insurance money and property," the court said. The defendant denied the charge, arguing he committed suicide. The court rejected the claim, saying he had searched online for apartment prices and methods to deal with acute indigestion the day before his death. There was no sign that the victim had taken the

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SEOUL, May 19 (Yonhap) – The U.S. military has flown a reconnaissance plane toward the East Sea, an aviation tracker said Thursday, amid concerns about the possibility of another intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch by North Korea. In a Twitter post, Aircraft Spots released an image showing an RC-135S Cobra Ball aircraft en route to the East Sea. It said the flight was to "monitor the North Korean missile launch window." The previous day, Kim Tae-hyo, the first deputy chief of South Korea's presidential National Security Office, said that the North's preparations for an ICBM launch appear to be "imminent." Citing a U.S. official, CNN also reported Tuesday that the North appears to be preparing for an ICBM test within the "next 48 to 96 hours," as the South and the United States are preparing for a summit between Presidents Yoon Suk-yeol and Joe Biden, set to take place in Seoul on Saturday. sshluck@yna.co.kr

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(ATTN: UPDATES with more details throughout; ADDS photo, byline) By Chae Yun-hwan SEOUL, May 19 (Yonhap) -- North Korea reported one additional death and over 260,000 new suspected COVID-19 cases Thursday, raising its total number of fever cases to nearly 2 million amid its battle with the virus outbreak. According to the information of the state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters, more than 262,270 people showed symptoms of fever and one death was reported over a 24-hour period until 6 p.m. Wednesday, increasing the total number of fatalities to 63, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. The total number of fever cases since late April in the country, with a population of around 25 million, stood at over 1.97 million as of 6 p.m. Wednesday, of which more than 1.23 million have fully recovered and at least 740,160 are being treated, it added. Last Thursday, the North reported its first COVID-19 case after claiming to be coronavirus-free for over tw

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By Byun Duk-kun WASHINGTON, May 18 (Yonhap) -- North Korea does not appear to have developed a hypersonic missile, but its tests to develop such a system warrant U.S. concerns, the head of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency said Wednesday. North Korea claims to have successfully test launched a new hypersonic missile on Jan. 5 and Jan. 11 (Seoul time). "They claim to have developed hypersonics," Vice Adm. John Hill said when asked if the North is developing hypersonic missiles in a hearing before the Senate Subcommittee on Strategic Forces. "But in terms of what we have seen, in terms of data, I'm not entirely confident that they have that capability today, but the fact that they are testing it ought to be of concern," he added. North Korea has staged 16 rounds of missile launches so far this year, including seven rounds in January alone that marked the largest number of missile tests it has conducted in any given month. Pyongyang also conducted three intercontin

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SEOUL, May 19 (Yonhap) -- An anticipated meeting between former South Korean President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Joe Biden in Seoul this weekend is unlikely to take place, officials here and in Washington said Thursday. Biden is scheduled to arrive in South Korea on Friday for a three-day visit and hold his first summit with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol the following day. It was previously reported Moon may meet with Biden during his visit to Seoul. But U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan denied the reports in a press briefing at the White House on Wednesday, saying, "We don't have a meeting scheduled with (former) President Moon at this time." Those close to Moon said they have nothing to say about the U.S.' decision. "The meeting was initially pursued at the suggestion of the White House. If the White House has finally decided not to include the meeting in the schedule, we have nothing to say in addition to what was said," said an official. Moo

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(ATTN: UPDATES with presidential official's remarks; CHANGES headline) By Lee Haye-ah SEOUL, May 18 (Yonhap) -- President Yoon Suk-yeol will virtually attend a summit in Tokyo next week where U.S. President Joe Biden will formally launch the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), a presidential official said Wednesday. Yoon's attendance next Tuesday will likely come after he announces South Korea's participation in the initiative during his summit with Biden in Seoul this Saturday. "South Korea will play a proactive role and present a standard for new rules creation," Kim Tae-hyo, first deputy chief of the presidential National Security Office, told reporters. Kim also said South Korea will invite other countries to join the initiative and realize its national interest through the IPEF. The IPEF is a framework unveiled by Biden at the East Asia Summit last October to strengthen U.S. economic cooperation with Indo-Pacific partners in key areas, such as fair trade, supply

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