"Delay in Chinese Approval" Charter Flight for Korean Residents Postponed... Ministry of Foreign Affairs: "Departure Tonight, Negotiations Ongoing"

Korean Consulate General in Wuhan Issues Urgent Notice to Overseas Koreans: "Please Wait for Further Announcements"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The charter flight plan initially scheduled to assist the return of Korean nationals staying in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China?the origin of the novel coronavirus infection?and nearby areas has been changed.

In the early morning of the 30th, the Korean Consulate General in Wuhan sent an urgent notice to overseas Koreans stating, "Due to delays in approval from the Chinese side, the notice to gather at the tollgate by 10:45 a.m. on Thursday the 30th for boarding the temporary flight has been changed," and added, "Those concerned are advised not to travel early in the morning and to wait for the next notice at their current location."

The Korean Consulate General in Wuhan said it would reannounce the schedule during the morning but did not provide detailed reasons for the delay.

A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official explained, "We issued an urgent notice to our nationals scheduled to board the temporary flight due to changes in the flight schedule," and added, "We are negotiating with the Chinese government to ensure that Korean nationals staying in Wuhan can return home as soon as possible."

Originally, two charter flights were scheduled to depart from Incheon Airport at 10 a.m. and noon on the day, respectively, and were expected to return to Korea in the afternoon at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. with about 370 Korean nationals on board. The government had previously announced that it would deploy two charter flights, an Airbus 330 and a Boeing 747, on the 30th and 31st to assist the return of about 720 overseas Koreans.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs official added, "We are continuing to negotiate with the Chinese government to dispatch the charter flights this evening."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.