700 Asan and Jincheon Temporary Residents Including Korean Nationals to Leave on 15-16

Police Human Resources Development Institute in Asan, Chungnam / Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Osangdo] A total of 700 Korean residents who returned from Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, to avoid the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia) will be discharged as scheduled over two days on the 15th and 16th.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety held a briefing at the Government Sejong Complex on the 11th and announced follow-up measures for our citizens who have been staying at the Police Human Resources Development Institute in Asan, Chungnam, and the National Human Resources Development Institute for Public Officials in Jincheon, Chungbuk.

The number of people to be discharged after completing the two-week quarantine period is 367 on the 15th and 333 on the 16th. Those scheduled for discharge will take a prepared bus to stations or terminals in five regions after receiving a final test and being confirmed negative. Among them, 31 people who underwent additional tests due to infection concerns at the temporary living facilities are also included. However, considering the concerns of local residents, discharge using individual private vehicles from the accommodation is not allowed.

The 367 people scheduled for discharge on the 15th are those who returned on the first flight on the 31st of last month. All 194 people in Asan and 173 people in Jincheon will be discharged. On the 16th, 333 people will be discharged from the Asan facility. Most of them are Korean residents who came on charter flights, and one father who voluntarily entered the facility in Korea to take care of two children who came without guardians is also included.

Park Jonghyun, the Safety Communication Officer of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, said, "We are currently investigating which region they will get off and whether they have a place to live in Korea, and most of the Korean residents hope to live in the Gyeonggi area," adding, "If there is no suitable place to live in Korea, we can support finding appropriate accommodation."

Along with their discharge, 111 members of the government joint support team who have been supporting the Korean residents at the Asan and Jincheon facilities will return after completing the facility cleanup. The interior of the temporary living facility buildings will be disinfected by a disinfection company, and the exterior will be disinfected by the police and the National Human Resources Development Institute for Public Officials.

Meanwhile, from the 4th to the 10th of this month, 31 Korean residents who showed suspicious symptoms during quarantine in Asan and Jincheon underwent novel coronavirus infection tests. Among them, 23 were in Asan and 8 in Jincheon. Only one person was confirmed positive. The person tested on the 6th was the 24th confirmed case in Korea.