"True Friends in Difficult Times" - Support of Quarantine Supplies to Gwangju City

Guangzhou City Delivers 300,000 Masks and 200 Non-contact Infrared Thermometers

Dalian City Provides 15,000 Masks, 1,500 Protective Suits, and 10,000 Gloves

Wuhan, Changzhi, Shenyang, Wenzhou, Quanzhou, Jinan City Also in Support Negotiation

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Gwangju Metropolitan City, which had urgently supported masks and other supplies to Chinese sister and friendship cities struggling due to the spread of COVID-19, is now receiving warm gestures from China.

According to Gwangju City on the 19th, seven Chinese sister and friendship cooperative cities including Guangzhou and Jinan have expressed their intention to support about 390,000 items of quarantine supplies.

First, on this day, quarantine supplies arrived at Gwangju City including 300,000 N95 and KN95 masks and 200 non-contact infrared thermometers sent by Guangzhou, a Chinese sister city, and 5,000 N95 masks, 10,000 general medical masks, 1,500 protective suits, and 10,000 gloves sent by Dalian, a friendship cooperative city.

The masks and other quarantine supplies arrived in Gwangju after approval by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and customs clearance procedures.

In addition, Wuhan City in China is preparing to ship 12,000 general medical masks secured on its own, scheduled to arrive in Korea on the 24th, and Changzhi City is also preparing quarantine supplies such as 200 protective suits and 10,000 gloves.

Friendship cooperative cities such as Shenyang, Wenzhou, Quanzhou, and Jinan City have also expressed their intention to support quarantine supplies necessary to overcome COVID-19, and specific details are being discussed.

The quarantine supplies sent from sister and friendship cities will be prioritized and used in places urgently needed such as socially vulnerable groups, medical sectors, quarantine workers, civic group volunteers on site, public transportation workers, and call centers.

Gwangju City established a sister city relationship with Guangzhou in 1996 and has been actively engaged in activities such as the 20th anniversary event of the sister city relationship in 2016, library exchange exhibitions, and youth sports exchanges.

Gwangju has maintained a friendship cooperative city relationship with Dalian since 2011, and the Gwangju mayoral delegation was invited to the Summer Davos Forum held in Dalian, continuously cooperating to share policies and expand exchanges.

Meanwhile, on January 31, Gwangju City urgently supported 50,000 health masks and a letter of consolation to eight sister and friendship cities in China, including Guangzhou, which were struggling due to the spread of COVID-19.

Mayor Lee Yong-seop sent letters to Guangzhou and Dalian in China on this day, expressing deep gratitude for the interest and support sent to Gwangju.

The mayor said, “As the saying goes, ‘A friend who helps in difficult times is a true friend.’ In January, when China was suffering from COVID-19, Gwangju supported masks to sister and friendship cities, and now, in return, they have sent us a great gift, for which I sincerely thank them. On behalf of 1.5 million citizens of Gwangju, I sincerely hope that the citizens of Guangzhou and Dalian will also be safe from COVID-19.”

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