hankyoreh

Travelers get tested for COVID-19 at walk-thru open screening booths outside Incheon International Airport on Mar. 26. (Yonhap News)

A task force representing South Korean government ministries involved in exporting medical supplies to combat COVID-19 held its first meeting on Mar. 26 to discuss effective ways of providing assistance. The task force has been set up to handle requests by various countries for humanitarian assistance and for imports of COVID-19 diagnostic kits and other supplies as the COVID-19 pandemic spreads around the globe.

As of Thursday, there were 51 countries that had used diplomatic channels to inquire about or request imports of South Korea’s COVID-19 diagnostic kits, while 50 countries had asked about humanitarian support.

Discussion during the meeting touched on a range of issues, including ways to maximize humanitarian assistance by providing diagnostic kits, the current domestic supply, the kinds of aid that each ministry is capable of providing, and solutions for difficulties faced by companies connected with shipping and customs clearance.

The meeting was led by Yun Gyeong-hyeon, economic coordinator for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and attended by officials from a range of related government agencies, including the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety; the Ministry of Health and Welfare; the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy; and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA).

“The government plans to use this task force to actively take part in international cooperation on combating COVID-19 by sending diagnostic kits overseas and by expanding support for international organizations,” said an official from the Foreign Ministry.

By Park Min-hee, staff reporter

Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]