Park Neung-hoo "China considers other countries as rivals"... Background of delayed charter flight

Minister of Health and Welfare Park Neung-hoo (center) is presiding over the 3rd Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting on the afternoon of the 29th at the Government Complex Sejong in Sejong City, discussing the response situation and support measures for the novel coronavirus infection. The meeting was attended via video by vice ministers from various ministries and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] Park Neung-hoo, Minister of Health and Welfare, said, "China seems to be concerned about its international prestige and feels diplomatically that other countries are overreacting to an infectious disease that they can control."

Minister Park made these remarks on the 30th during an appearance on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' explaining the delay in repatriating Korean residents living in Wuhan, China, contrary to the initial announcement. The government had announced the day before that a charter flight departing from Korea at 10 a.m. would bring back the local residents. However, in the early morning, it was announced again that "the Chinese government is delaying approval," and local residents were asked not to gather at the airport but to wait.

Minister Park said, "Approval is required for the plane to take off, and there are disagreements between Korea and China during that process," adding, "The final flight schedule and flight approval have not yet been fully confirmed and are still being coordinated."

Minister Park is leading the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, composed of related ministries, in response to the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia) situation. Along with these technical issues, measures such as restricting departures to prevent the spread of the infectious disease to neighboring countries have complicated the repatriation of local residents.

Regarding criticism that countries like the United States, Japan, and Australia have already repatriated their nationals, he said, "I understand that the U.S. and Japan also wanted to evacuate more people, but sufficient flight schedules were not available," and added, "I believe those countries are preparing for a second or third round as well."

Initially, the Korean government planned to bring back all residents who wished to return, including those with symptoms, but he also revealed that negotiations were difficult due to opposition from the Chinese government.

Regarding the opposition from local residents in Asan and Jincheon, designated as the areas where the repatriated residents would stay, he said, "The Jincheon county governor understood and agreed to cooperate." He continued, "Considering capacity, travel distance, medical facilities, and regional balance, Asan and Jincheon were deemed more suitable," adding, "Since considerable preparation time is needed, it is currently difficult to find other locations."

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