ROK's Gyeongju in global spotlight ahead of APEC leaders' meeting

The historic city of Gyeongju in the Republic of Korea (ROK) is set to take a center stage on the global diplomatic scene as it will host the 32nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting from Friday and Saturday.

Located about 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul, the millennium city will welcome world leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, for high-level discussions on deepening regional economic cooperation and advancing shared prosperity.

Gyeongju is known as "a museum without walls". As the ancient capital of the Silla Kingdom (57 BC-AD 935), it is home to multiple UNESCO World Heritage sites, including the Bulguksa Temple and the Seokguram Grotto.

China and the ROK are close neighbors and cooperative partners. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between them on Aug 24, 1992, the two countries have seen rapid development in their relations and deepening cooperation across various fields.

China has been the ROK's largest trading partner for 21 consecutive years, while the ROK is China's second-largest trading partner.

ROK's Gyeongju in global spotlight ahead of APEC leaders' meeting

South Korea's Gyeongju in global spotlight ahead of APEC leaders' meeting

South Korea's Gyeongju in global spotlight ahead of APEC leaders' meeting

South Korea's Gyeongju in global spotlight ahead of APEC leaders' meeting

Spanish health authorities on Friday identified a second monitored contact linked to the hantavirus outbreak on cruise ship MV Hondius after tracing a woman living in Catalonia who had shared a flight with a Dutch traveler died from the virus.

Spain's Center for Coordination of Health Alerts and Emergencies said the woman is asymptomatic and was initially missed during contact tracing because of a seat change on the aircraft.

According to health authorities, the woman now meets the criteria for monitored contact under a newly approved national surveillance protocol and will remain under medical observation.

This came after the suspected case of hantavirus detected in Alicante. Spanish Secretary of State for Health Javier Padilla said on Friday that the health authorities had taken relevant measures.

In addition, Padilla confirmed that all 14 Spanish passengers aboard the MV Hondius had agreed to undergo voluntary quarantine measures in order to minimize the risk of further transmission.

The Dutch-operated expedition cruise ship, currently heading toward Spain's Canary Islands, has so far been linked to three deaths.

Padilla said a team from the Spanish Health Ministry would travel to Tenerife on Saturday ahead of the ship's expected arrival on Sunday.

Passengers are expected to disembark by small boats before being transferred under strict isolation measures. Spanish citizens aboard the vessel will be transported to Madrid for quarantine observation.

The British Health Security Agency announced Friday that a suspected hantavirus case has been detected on the South Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha, linked to the ongoing outbreak aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship.

The vessel stopped at Tristan da Cunha between April 13 and 15.

Spain identifies second suspected hantavirus case linked to cruise ship outbreak