'COVID-19 Resurgence' KOICA Seongnam Training Center 260 Rooms Opened as Residential Treatment Center

This Week's Opening... Imi-kyung, KOICA President, "Joining Efforts to Resolve Metropolitan Area Bed Shortage Issue"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] KOICA (Korea International Cooperation Agency) will urgently open the KOICA Training Center located in Sujeong-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, within the KOICA headquarters, as a residential treatment center for asymptomatic and mild patients of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

On the 31st, KOICA announced that it decided to open the KOICA Training Center with the purpose of participating in securing intensive care unit beds and providing space for treating mild patients. The Central Clinical Committee predicts that if 300 new confirmed cases occur daily, up to 130 severe patients will emerge by September 3rd. However, as of the 25th, only 19 beds remain out of a total of 319 severe patient beds in the metropolitan area.

The KOICA Training Center located in Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, which is being opened this time, is a facility where public officials, policymakers, and researchers from developing countries visiting Korea through the global training project, which cultivates talents leading the economic and social development of developing countries, stay for a short period. It consists of a total of 4 buildings with 260 rooms, and currently, short-term training projects and room usage have been suspended due to the spread of COVID-19.

Chairperson Lee Mi-kyung said, "We have decided to open the KOICA Training Center again under the judgment that rapid support is necessary to resolve the shortage of beds caused by the resurgence of COVID-19," adding, "KOICA, as Korea's representative development cooperation agency and a public institution, will overcome COVID-19 not only through relief but also through trust and solidarity, and will actively cooperate with the government's efforts to overcome COVID-19."

Previously, for the past seven months, KOICA has opened the KOICA Training Center and the Global Talent Education Center in Yeongwol, Gangwon-do, to provide self-quarantine facilities for overseas volunteers temporarily returning due to COVID-19, including Seongnam citizens who have difficulty self-isolating or have no residence. In April, the KOICA Training Center was opened as a self-quarantine living facility for overseas Koreans entering from countries such as Iran and Spain.

Additionally, in March, KOICA recruited and selected personnel from volunteer groups to support medical care for COVID-19 in the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions, providing medical, quarantine, interpretation, counseling, and administrative support. They also delivered masks and hand sanitizers to 10 facilities for vulnerable groups in Daegu and donated 20 million won from employees' contributions.

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