'3rd Charter Flight' Carrying Wuhan Residents and Families Departs on 11th... Expected to Arrive at Gimpo on 12th

Over 150 Passengers Expected, Wuhan Consulate General Sends Guidance
Temporary Living Facility Established at Gyeonggi Icheon Defense Language Institute

On the 31st, a charter flight dispatched to transport Korean residents living in Wuhan, China, arrived at Gimpo International Airport in Gangseo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] On the 11th, the government will send a third charter flight to Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, to bring back overseas Koreans and their Chinese family members. The temporary residence for the returning overseas Koreans and Chinese families has been decided as the Defense Language Institute at the Korea Army Academy in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province.

On the 10th, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters for the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia) announced that a third charter flight will be sent to Wuhan on the evening of the 11th. The charter flight carrying overseas Koreans and Chinese family members is expected to arrive at Gimpo Airport on the morning of the 12th.

Due to the Chinese government's lockdown, it is estimated that about 230 overseas Koreans and their families remain in Wuhan and nearby areas. The number of passengers on the third charter flight is expected to be around 150.

Notably, Chinese direct family members are also allowed to board this third charter flight. In the first and second charter flights, only 701 Korean nationals were allowed to board due to the Chinese government's policy.

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha explained, "There are about 230 overseas Koreans in Wuhan, including their families," and added, "The first and second temporary flights did not include Chinese nationals due to the Chinese government's policy, but the policy was changed on the 5th."

The Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Wuhan also issued guidance to overseas Koreans and their families wishing to board. The consulate stated, "This decision takes into account that many people were unable to board the flights during the previous two temporary flights due to various circumstances," and explained, "According to the Chinese government's revised policy, Chinese-national spouses and direct family members of our citizens are also allowed to board the temporary flights."

The departure time of the third charter flight is expected to be the same as the first and second flights. Therefore, the third charter flight is also likely to depart late in the evening on the 11th, complete the Chinese government's quarantine procedures, and arrive at Gimpo Airport on the morning of the 12th.

The overseas Koreans and Chinese families returning this time will be quarantined at the temporary living facilities to be set up at the Defense Language Institute in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province. Kim Kang-rip, Deputy Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, said, "The Korea Army Academy Defense Language Institute was selected after comprehensively considering the suitability of the accommodation capacity and accessibility to the airport and medical institutions."

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