Juwan Korean Consulate General to Resume Normal Operations from the 20th... Lifting Lockdown of 'COVID-19' Origin Site

13 Returning Employees and Family Members Complete 2-Week Quarantine and Return Locally
1 Million Korean Diagnostic Kits Supplied to Malaysia

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Following the lifting of lockdown measures in Wuhan, China, the origin of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Wuhan resumed normal operations starting today (the 20th).

A senior official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained to reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Seoul on the 20th, "Thirteen people, including eight staff members who had returned to Korea from the Wuhan Consulate General and five family members, left China for Shanghai on the 31st of last month, completed a 14-day quarantine period, and have now returned to Wuhan. While four essential personnel had been operating the consulate locally, normal operations have resumed as of today."

Amid surging global demand for Korean-made diagnostic kits from countries including the United States, up to 1 million test kits will be supplied to Malaysia. The Malaysian Ministry of Health announced on the 16th that it had decided to make a large-scale purchase of Korean rapid diagnostic kits.

The senior foreign ministry official said, "After performance tests comparing Korean and Chinese diagnostic kits, Malaysia decided to purchase the Korean kits. An initial supply of 200,000 to 300,000 tests will be provided, with the possibility of phased supplies up to 1 million tests."

Regarding the establishment of a new policy allowing exceptions for businesspeople's entry, agreed upon during the Korea-China Vice Foreign Ministers' video conference held on the 17th, it has been confirmed that only detailed coordination remains. This is regarded as the first case where an exception for businesspeople's entry was negotiated and created.

The senior official explained, "China requested that exceptions be made for businesspeople's entry. This is the first step toward agreeing on a general institutional framework. While some points still need to be coordinated, the main idea is that businesspeople can operate without other restrictions if they undergo COVID-19 testing in their home country before departure."

He added, "Additional consultations are necessary to activate the businesspeople exception entry, but this is a meaningful step forward. We will strive to coordinate opinions as quickly as possible to implement it."

Meanwhile, the number of businesspeople who have exceptionally entered the country with the assistance of the Korean government is counted at 2,550. Support for the return of overseas Koreans has been confirmed for 18,125 people across 77 countries. Among overseas diplomatic staff, confirmed cases include one in Belgium and two in Russia, while confirmed cases among overseas Koreans total 83 across 23 countries.

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