Ministry of Foreign Affairs "Second Charter Flight Operation Talks with Chinese Side"

Overseas Koreans from Wuhan, China are disembarking from a chartered flight that landed at Gimpo Airport on the morning of the 31st. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] A Korean Air charter flight carrying 367 South Korean nationals who had been staying in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China?the epicenter of the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia)?arrived at Gimpo Airport on the 31st. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is continuing negotiations with the Chinese side to send a second charter flight to carry approximately 350 additional nationals.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the schedule for the second charter flight to transport the remaining overseas Koreans has not yet been finalized. If negotiations between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese government proceed smoothly, the second charter flight is expected to depart from Korea around the same time as the first charter flight, carry about 350 passengers, and return to Gimpo Airport in the early hours of the 1st. An additional rapid response team from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will also accompany the flight.

Some speculate that it may take some time before the additional charter flight is deployed. This is because several countries are requesting permission from the Chinese government to operate charter flights for their nationals, and the takeoff and landing times for charter flights are being strictly controlled. It is reported that the Chinese side has conveyed to the Korean government that deploying additional flights immediately is difficult. A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official explained, "The government is actively negotiating with the Chinese side to ensure that additional temporary flights for the return of nationals currently staying in the area can operate as soon as possible."

Due to opposition from the Chinese side, the Korean government's transportation plans have been repeatedly changed and scaled down. Initially, the government planned to deploy two charter flights in one day on the 30th and 31st to repatriate Koreans from Wuhan, but this was reduced to one flight during negotiations with the Chinese government. The government had intended to space out the flights to reduce the possibility of contact among the evacuees in case of emergencies, but this was not feasible. As a result, the evacuees traveled wearing N95 masks for protection. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha stated at a joint briefing with related ministries the previous day, "We are continuously communicating with the Chinese side through our diplomatic missions and the central embassy," adding, "We are negotiating, including additional temporary flights, so that all overseas nationals can return as quickly as possible."

Japan also attempted to deploy two charter flights simultaneously but is operating one flight sequentially due to opposition from the Chinese government. Japan transported 206 people on the first charter flight and 210 on the second. The Japanese government has sent a third charter flight to transport about 300 remaining returnees and is reportedly negotiating with the Chinese side to deploy a fourth charter flight early next week.

On the 29th (local time), the United States transported about 240 people, including staff from the U.S. consulate in Wuhan and nationals, to March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County, about 100 km east of Los Angeles, California. The U.S. plans to deploy additional charter flights in early February. Governments of France, Canada, Sri Lanka, India, and others are also negotiating with the Chinese government to repatriate their nationals via flights.

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