▶ Moon Willing To Hold Another Inter-Korean Summit
President Moon Jae-in has said he is willing to hold an inter-Korean summit without preconditions amid concern North Korea could end its self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile tests.
Moon made the remark in a joint written interview with Yonhap News Agency, AP and six other global news wire services, warning that the Korean Peninsula may return to the "touch-and-go crisis" it faced five years ago.
He said, "Preventing such a crisis through persistent dialogue and diplomacy will be the task that political leaders in the countries concerned must fulfill together."
Moon stressed that as long as there is willingness to engage in dialogue, whether the summit will be held face-to-face or virtual does not matter.
He said whatever method North Korea wants will be acceptable.
He added, however, that there is not much time left before his term ends in May and that the "the timing of the incoming presidential election and its result may make it inappropriate to hold an inter-Korean summit."
With regard to North Korea-U.S. relations, Moon said he believes North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and current U.S. President Joe Biden will meet eventually to discuss the North's nuclear weapons program "since dialogue is the only way to resolve problems."
▶ S. Korea, US, Japan Coordinate On Missile Threats
Defense Minister Suh Wook and his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, Lloyd Austin and Nobuo Kishi, respectively, have agreed to closely coordinate on North Korea's evolving missile threats.
Seoul's defense ministry said Suh called the recent series of missile tests by the regime a "direct and serious threat" to South Korea and a "challenge to U.N. Security Council resolutions."
The ministry said the officials also saw eye-to-eye on the need to continue efforts to achieve the goal of denuclearization
▶ KDCA: New COVID-19 Cases Surpass 50,000
The number of newly confirmed coronavirus cases in South Korea increased by a record high 54,122 in the last 24 hours, amid a raging wave of Omicron.
It's the first time the daily tally has exceeded the 50,000 level.
In a briefing, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency noted that the fast-spreading highly transmissible Omicron variant accounted for more than 92 percent of all cases reported last week, and that new infections soared by nearly fourfold over the past two weeks.
Health authorities have warned that the figure could reach 170,000 by around the end of this month, but have yet to offer projections about when the surge will hit its peak.
▶ New York Latest To Ease Mask Mandates
New York state says it will end its mandate requiring people to wear a mask in most indoor public places after it saw a steep decline in COVID-19 cases.
Governor Kathy Hochul said she would not renew the mandate for businesses when it expires on Thursday.
She thanked New Yorkers for their cooperation.
[Clip: Hochul]
"Given the declining cases, given the declining hospitalizations, that is why we feel comfortable to lift this in effect tomorrow. Why is all this happening? Because New Yorkers and businesses stepped up and did the right thing and I will always be grateful to them for being the reason these numbers are declining."
▶ Korean Speed Skater Hwang Dae-Heon Strikes Gold
Short track speed skater Hwang Dae-heon struck gold last night at the Beijing Olympics, becoming the first South Korean to top the podium at the Winter Games.
Hwang finished the men's 1,500-meter with a time of 2:09.219 at Capital Indoor Stadium.
It was the second career Olympic medal for Hwang, who clinched silver in the 500-meter four years ago at the PyeongChang Games.
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