500 People Hope for Wuhan Evacuation Charter Flight... Government Finalizing Deployment Decision

The Number of Koreans Expressing Willingness to Board Continues to Increase

On the last day of the Lunar New Year holiday, the 27th, the fourth confirmed case of the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia) was reported in South Korea. On this day, a notice regarding Wuhan pneumonia prevention was displayed on the electronic billboard at Seoul Station. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

More than 500 Korean nationals residing in Wuhan, China, the origin of the novel coronavirus 'Wuhan pneumonia,' have reportedly expressed their intention to board a special repatriation flight. The government is in the final stages of reviewing the deployment of the charter flight.

According to the Korean community in Wuhan on the 27th, the number of Korean nationals who have expressed their intention to board the charter flight at the Korean Consulate General in Wuhan has exceeded 500 as of that day.

In the demand survey conducted by the Consulate General until the previous day, about 400 nationals had expressed their intention to board, which means the number increased by about 100 in one day.

One community member said, "Due to concerns about the spread of Wuhan pneumonia domestically, the government is expected to obtain consent forms from those boarding the repatriation charter flight agreeing to a 14-day quarantine period."

Currently, it is understood that there are about 600 Korean nationals staying in Wuhan, including students, self-employed individuals, travelers, and business visitors.

Since the 23rd, Wuhan has been strictly locked down by local authorities, and no one, including foreigners, is allowed to leave.

Moreover, public transportation such as buses and subways in the city has been suspended, and the operation of shared vehicles, taxis, and private cars has been completely banned. Due to the disrupted supply of daily necessities, Korean nationals stranded in Wuhan are facing significant difficulties in maintaining basic living conditions.

President Moon Jae-in is delivering New Year's greetings via a phone call to SBS Radio's "Beautiful Morning with Kim Chang-wan" on the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year holiday, January 24, at his residence in Yangsan, Gyeongnam.

The Korean government has entered the final review stage for deploying a charter flight to evacuate Korean nationals stranded in Wuhan.

A government official stated, "We recognize the urgency of the situation and are in consultation with Chinese authorities," adding, "There are many preparations to be made as a package, including strengthening the domestic quarantine system in case Korean nationals currently staying locally return."

Governments worldwide are also actively pushing for the deployment of charter flights to evacuate their nationals staying in Wuhan.

The United States plans to dispatch a charter flight on the 28th to evacuate about 1,000 nationals, including consulate staff, and Japan is also planning to send a charter flight as early as the 28th to bring back its nationals, Kyodo News quoted government officials as saying.

Agnes Buzyn, France's Minister of Health, announced on the 26th (local time), "French nationals in Wuhan will be repatriated directly to their home country by air in accordance with an agreement with Chinese authorities," adding, "The repatriation will take place in the middle of this week."

Meanwhile, Korean health authorities raised the infectious disease crisis alert level from 'caution' to 'alert' on the 27th as Wuhan pneumonia spread.