Chairman Lee Kun-hee's Funeral Hall Visited by Business Leaders for Condolences, Undergo COVID-19 Testing... 'Business Community on Edge'

Chairman Chey Tae-won of SK is entering the funeral hall at Seoul Samsung Hospital in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, where the late Lee Kun-hee, Chairman of Samsung Group, is lying in state on the afternoon of the 26th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun is entering the funeral hall at Seoul Samsung Hospital in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, where the late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee's wake is being held on the morning of the 26th. 2020. 10. 26

Kim Seung-yeon, Chairman of Hanwha Group (second from right), and Kim Dong-seon, former team leader of Hanwha Construction, are leaving the building after paying their respects at the funeral hall set up for the late Lee Kun-hee, Chairman of Samsung Group, at Samsung Seoul Hospital on the afternoon of the 26th. 2020.10.26 Photo by Joint Press Corps [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] The business community is on edge as corporate heads and top executives who came to pay their respects at the funeral of Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee are undergoing or scheduled to undergo COVID-19 testing after a reporter covering the funeral tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

According to the business community on the 4th, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won received a disaster alert text message from the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) on the morning of the same day, stating "Request for testing visitors to the Samsung Seoul Hospital funeral hall in Gangnam-gu, Seoul on October 26," and subsequently underwent COVID-19 testing. Chairman Chey is currently isolating at home while awaiting the test results in accordance with quarantine guidelines.

Park Yong-man, Chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, also took a COVID-19 test on the morning of the same day and waited at home until he received a negative result in the afternoon. Sohn Kyung-shik, Chairman of the Korea Employers Federation, also underwent testing in the afternoon.

Executives from Samsung who were guarding the funeral hall and Samsung Electronics officials are also reported to have undergone COVID-19 testing. In addition, Chung Mong-joon, Chairman of the Asan Foundation, and Chung Ki-sun, Vice President of Hyundai Heavy Industries, are expected to be tested soon.

Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun, Hanwha Chairman Kim Seung-yeon, Doosan Group Chairman Park Jung-won, former Kolon Group Chairman Lee Woong-yeol, and former Lotte Holdings Vice Chairman Hwang Kak-kyu also visited the funeral hall on the 26th.

Earlier, a reporter who conducted coverage activities in the first-floor lobby and outdoor entrance of the Samsung Seoul Hospital funeral hall, where Chairman Lee's funeral was held on the 26th of last month, tested positive for COVID-19 on the 2nd.

Following this, the CDSCH conducted an investigation including closed-circuit television (CCTV) review and found that approximately 1,000 people visited the Samsung Seoul Hospital funeral hall on the 26th of last month. They issued a disaster alert text on the 4th, warning that the infected individual might have transmitted COVID-19 to an unspecified number of people at the site.

However, authorities believe that although the infected person stayed near the funeral hall for an extended period, the likelihood of close contact and transmission is low.

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