Irish Prime Minister tells President Moon, "We are seeing effectiveness with Korean-style diagnostic testing"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] President Moon Jae-in spoke with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar for about 30 minutes starting at 5 p.m. on the 4th to discuss cooperation in response to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). According to a written briefing by Blue House spokesperson Kang Min-seok, this call was made at the request of Prime Minister Varadkar and marked President Moon’s 100th call with a head of state since his inauguration and his 31st call related to COVID-19.

During the call, Prime Minister Varadkar said, "Ireland has been very encouraged by how Korea is responding to COVID-19," adding, "By closely monitoring Korea’s proactive diagnostic testing, Ireland has also implemented diagnostic testing and contact tracing like Korea, resulting in a decrease in infection and fatality rates, showing effectiveness." He continued, "Ireland has developed an application to trace confirmed patients’ movements similar to Korea," emphasizing, "Both Korea and Ireland share a similar approach based on democratic principles that stress voluntary citizen participation."

Spokesperson Kang reported that Prime Minister Varadkar expressed interest in purchasing Korea’s COVID-19 diagnostic kits and related medical equipment such as masks, saying, "Korea’s COVID-19 diagnostic kits have been very helpful."

President Moon said, "Ireland has not imposed forced measures such as banning foreign entry, which aligns with Korea’s three principles of COVID-19 response based on openness, transparency, and democracy," adding, "We have responded to COVID-19 with a similar spirit and philosophy." He also said, "I am glad that Korea’s diagnostic kits have been helpful," and added, "Although the domestic mask supply issue has not been completely resolved, we are now able to meet urgent domestic demand to some extent. Since domestic mask production is continuously increasing, we will actively consider ways to support Ireland with masks."

President Moon mentioned receiving a letter from Bono, the leader of the rock band U2, requesting cooperation between the two countries, and said, "Thank you for proposing this call. I heard that you, Prime Minister, are supporting COVID-19 medical efforts by utilizing your experience as a doctor, and I hope Ireland overcomes COVID-19 as soon as possible." In response, Prime Minister Varadkar said, "Bono is a personal friend. He is active not only for Ireland but also worldwide."

President Moon expressed gratitude for Ireland’s consistent support of the Korean government’s efforts for peace on the Korean Peninsula, noting Ireland’s deployment during the Korean War. Spokesperson Kang reported that Prime Minister Varadkar congratulated the ruling party on its victory in the Korean general election and mentioned that he would like to support the Korean Peninsula peace process with the experience and expertise gained from Ireland’s peacebuilding efforts if it would be helpful.

Prime Minister Varadkar shared his impressions of his visit to Korea in 2013 when he was Minister of Transport, Tourism and Sport, expressing hope for opportunities such as visiting Busan. President Moon responded by saying that once the COVID-19 situation settles, they would discuss the visit through diplomatic channels.

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