'Son-in-law of Korea' Continues: Colorado, USA Supplies 100,000 Korean Diagnostic Kits

"US-Korea Alliance Critical in Health Issues... Korea's Friendship Appreciated"
Larry Hogan, Governor of Maryland, Also Says "Secured 500,000 COVID-19 Test Kits from Korea"

Cory Gardner, Vice Chair of the East Asia and Pacific Subcommittee of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy reporters Seunggon Han and intern reporter Juhyung Lim] Cory Gardner, Republican Senator from Colorado and Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific, expressed his gratitude for securing Korean-made COVID-19 test kits.

On the 22nd (local time), Gardner posted on his Twitter, "More than 100,000 COVID-19 test kits that I helped secure from Korea will soon arrive in Colorado."

He added, "Extensive testing is key to (COVID-19 prevention). The people of Colorado will be grateful for the work done by the State Department, Ambassador Lee Soo-hyuk to the U.S., and Governor Jared Polis of Colorado to overcome this global pandemic together."

He further emphasized, "The Korea-U.S. alliance is stronger than ever, and I am thankful for our ongoing friendship. It has proven to be critical not only for the economic and national security interests of the U.S. but also for our health issues."

Gardner concluded his post by saying, "We will overcome this pandemic together."

Governor Larry Hogan and his wife who purchased Korean test kits. / Photo by Larry Hogan Twitter capture [Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan also secured 500,000 Korean-made test kits, thanks to the efforts of his Korean-American wife, Yumi Hogan (Korean name Kim Yumi).

On the 20th, Governor Hogan held a press conference in Annapolis, the state capital, stating, "We have secured 500,000 COVID-19 testing kits from Korea," and added, "Maryland owes a huge debt to Korea. We sincerely thank Korea for helping us fight this invisible enemy."

At that time, CNN reported that Mrs. Hogan played a significant role by directly negotiating with Korean companies during the purchase process. Governor Hogan also said, "My wife is the champion of this (test kit procurement) operation."

However, U.S. President Donald Trump criticized at a White House press conference that day, saying, "If Governor Hogan had contacted Vice President Mike Pence first, money needed to secure the testing equipment could have been saved," and added, "Some governors do not fully understand federal government policies."

In response, Governor Hogan appeared on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" the next day and expressed dissatisfaction, saying, "(The purchase of Korean-made test kits) was exactly what the President instructed us to do. We completed that mission, and then we were criticized."

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