Overseas Koreans Arrive in the Afternoon, No Protest Rallies Yet... Calm Situation in Asan

[Report] Site Quiet... Tent Building 2 Soon to Be Demolished
Minister of the Interior and Safety Visited the Day Before
Residents Persuaded, Many Misunderstandings Seem Resolved
About 800 Police Officers Deployed in Case of Emergency

On the 31st, when the charter flight carrying evacuees from Wuhan, China arrived, police forces were on guard duty around the Chungnam Asan Police Human Resources Development Institute, designated as the temporary accommodation for the Wuhan evacuees. / Asan - Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol, Asan=Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] On the morning of the 31st, when Korean residents returned from Wuhan, China, by chartered flight, a quiet silence prevailed at the Police Human Resources Development Institute in Asan, Chungnam, where they were to be accommodated. Until 11 a.m., no villagers were seen. Compared to the previous day's situation, where a rally was held and physical clashes with the police occurred, the atmosphere on site was somewhat softened. The two tents installed here are also scheduled to be dismantled soon, and no separate protest rally plans have been announced for the residents expected to arrive in the afternoon. It seems that misunderstandings have been considerably resolved after Minister of the Interior and Safety Jin Young and Chungnam Governor Yang Seung-jo visited the site the day before to persuade the residents.

Village resident Lee Myeon-gu (75) said, "We were outraged because the Korean residents were to be accommodated in Asan after being pushed out of Cheonan," adding, "Yesterday, the minister and the governor came and explained in detail, so I think the anger has eased a bit." Currently, the residents are more concerned about response measures after the quarantine accommodation rather than opposing the accommodation itself. A village representative meeting was held at 10 a.m. that day, and discussions related to this were reportedly held.

On the morning of the 31st, a resident is seen cleaning the site of the previous day's gathering in front of the Chungnam Asan Police Human Resources Development Institute, where repatriated Koreans from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the Wuhan pneumonia, will stay.

At the Police Human Resources Development Institute, about 200 of the 368 Korean residents who arrived at Gimpo Airport that morning are expected to arrive here by police bus. The bus will pass through the quarantine facility at the main gate and enter the premises. The police have deployed about 800 officers from 10 companies around the Police Human Resources Development Institute to prepare for any emergencies. Chungnam Province is also strengthening quarantine measures by providing 6,500 masks and 200 indoor disinfectants to the nearby village residents and has decided to support home visit medical care.

Meanwhile, the Korean residents to be accommodated here and at another quarantine facility, the National Civil Service Human Resources Development Institute in Jincheon, Chungbuk, will stay without external contact for the next two weeks. Family visits will also be restricted. They will wear masks of N95 grade or higher inside the facility and use single rooms. Only some, such as infants, are allowed to share rooms with family members. Mutual interaction will be minimized, and restrooms and showers will be used individually. Medical staff will stay on each floor and check health status twice a day. The medical staff have been dispatched from the National Medical Center and the Ministry of National Defense. A transfer system is also in place to immediately move anyone who develops symptoms while staying at the temporary facility to a nationally designated inpatient treatment bed.

The costs incurred during the stay here will be covered from the contingency fund (2 trillion won) allocated in this year’s budget, as previously announced by the government. Park Neung-hoo, Minister of Health and Welfare, said, "We selected the facility considering comprehensively that residents should be able to stay comfortably and that the environment minimizes infection," adding, "We are also planning to provide sufficient food and entertainment facilities."

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