Prime Minister Jeong: "Take Measures to Ensure Undocumented Immigrants Can Receive Medical Care Without Worrying About Their Status"

Prime Minister Jeong Sye-kyun

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwangho Lee] Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said on the 29th, "Take measures to ensure that (undocumented foreigners) can receive masks and medical treatment at public health centers or medical organizations without worrying about their status."

On the same day, Prime Minister Chung presided over the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) meeting for the response to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) held at the Government Seoul Office and stated, "Regarding the approximately 380,000 undocumented foreigners, we should approach this from a quarantine perspective rather than immigration control."

Prime Minister Chung pointed out, "In Singapore, cluster infections are spreading mainly in dormitories of foreign workers living in poor conditions. This is due to the environment where infections can easily spread in enclosed living spaces," and added, "Our situation is not much different. Moreover, due to their unstable status, they are likely to avoid visiting screening clinics even if they have suspicious symptoms, making them a blind spot in quarantine that could easily lead to community infections at any time."

He continued, "If we drive them out as illegal immigrants and crack down on them, they will hide deeply, which could enlarge the blind spots," expressing concern, "I also worry that this might inadvertently fuel hatred against foreigners."

Regarding the 340 representatives of 143 small and medium-sized enterprises arriving in Vietnam by chartered flight on the same day, Prime Minister Chung said, "I express my gratitude to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, KOTRA, and related agencies who have worked hard to secure exceptions to entry restrictions."

He also said, "I understand that every morning at the CDSCH meeting, mayors, county governors, and district heads from 226 basic local governments nationwide always participate," and encouraged them by saying, "To protect local communities from COVID-19, you have repeatedly worked overtime and overnight for the past three months, leading the quarantine sites. The foundation for achieving this much was the sacrifice and dedication of these individuals."

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