Jang Ha-sung: "Third chartered flight to Wuhan approved... Awaiting detailed notification"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Sunmi Park] The deployment of a third charter flight to bring back Korean residents remaining in Wuhan, Hubei Province, where the spread of the novel coronavirus infection is severe, will soon be possible. It has been confirmed that our government has already received approval from the Chinese government and is awaiting detailed notification.

On the 10th, Jang Ha-sung, the Korean Ambassador to China, said at a meeting with Beijing correspondents, "Last weekend, we received a verbal notification from the Chinese government approving our government's third charter flight deployment to Wuhan."

Ambassador Jang explained, "We have received government approval and are currently waiting for the final detailed flight-related notification from aviation authorities," adding, "We expect it to be possible soon."

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH), our government is preparing to deploy a third charter flight on the 11th to bring back Korean residents and their Chinese family members remaining in Wuhan. The number of returnees using the third charter flight is about 150, and it is known that final negotiations are underway with plans to depart from Incheon on the 11th and arrive at Gimpo Airport on the morning of the 12th.

However, whether our government can fully board Korean residents and their Chinese family members on the charter flight as requested may vary slightly depending on the local situation. Korean residents in nearby areas outside Wuhan in Hubei Province also want to board the charter flight, but it is uncertain whether they can safely enter Wuhan.

A diplomatic official explained, "Since Wuhan is locked down, people from nearby areas need a travel permit to enter Wuhan and board the plane. Our government has requested cooperation from China to obtain travel permits, and they are being issued, but there are difficulties as some checkpoints block passage ignoring government approval."

He added, "Korean residents remaining in locked-down Wuhan are struggling due to a shortage of daily necessities," and said, "We obtained approval from Chinese authorities and secured transportation to provide necessary supplies such as baby formula and kimchi at the government level, but local authorities did not grant permission due to quarantine issues, so we ultimately could not send them. It is regrettable that support has not been smooth depending on the local government situation."

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