7 Koreans Including Those on Japanese Cruise Rescued, Returned by Presidential Plane... Quarantined for 14 Days

6 Koreans and 1 Japanese Spouse
Disembarked Around Midnight and Moved to Haneda Airport
2 Additional Crew Members Expressed Intention to Return

On the morning of the 19th, the presidential aircraft (Air Force One No. 3) carrying six Koreans and one Japanese spouse who disembarked from the cruise ship 'Diamond Princess' docked at Yokohama Port, Japan, arrived at Gimpo International Airport. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Seven individuals, including Koreans and Japanese spouses who were aboard the Japanese cruise ship 'Diamond Princess,' where confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) have been rapidly increasing, were transported to Korea on the 19th. The government, which had initially planned to focus on consular assistance within Japan's quarantine system, deployed the presidential aircraft (Air Force No. 3) to bring them home as the number of confirmed cases on the cruise ship surged sharply.

The Air Force No. 3 departed from Haneda Airport in Japan at 2:20 a.m. and arrived at Gimpo Airport around 6:27 a.m. The domestic transfer procedures were completed about 1 hour and 30 minutes earlier than the government's initially expected time of 8 a.m. After landing on the runway at Gimpo Airport, the Air Force No. 3 positioned itself in front of the Seoul Gimpo Aviation Business Center (SGBAC), a charter terminal completely separated from general passengers, to proceed with subsequent quarantine procedures.

The transfer process was swiftly carried out according to the Japanese government's disembarkation plan. Six Koreans and one Japanese spouse who had been aboard the Diamond Princess, where a cluster COVID-19 infection occurred, disembarked around 12:20 a.m. to head to Korea. Immediately after disembarkation, they boarded a bus prepared by the Korean Embassy in Japan and moved to Tokyo Haneda Airport, where their health status was checked by a medical team dispatched via Air Force No. 3.

The number of people transported that day was confirmed to be seven, including six Koreans and one Japanese male spouse. This was two more than the five previously announced by the government, as two additional crew members expressed their intention to return. The passengers who disembarked from Air Force No. 3 were checked for fever and respiratory symptoms under the guidance of domestic quarantine officials. No passengers showed suspected symptoms of COVID-19 according to the quarantine results.

The seven returnees completed quarantine and procedures in about an hour and were transported by a pre-arranged 25-seat bus to the Central Quarantine Medical Support Center at Incheon Airport Quarantine Station. They are scheduled to be quarantined for 14 days at the Central Quarantine Medical Support Center, which is equipped with 50 negative pressure isolation rooms. Kim Kang-rip, Deputy Head of the COVID-19 Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, explained, "Thorough quarantine will be conducted to block the possibility of COVID-19 inflow," adding, "Our returning citizens and their families will stay in temporary living facilities for 14 days."

For the eight Korean cruise ship passengers who are not returning on Air Force No. 3 this time, consular assistance will continue. According to the Japanese government's policy, they will disembark sequentially starting from this day if they test negative for COVID-19. A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official stated, "The Ministry will maintain close contact with our citizens remaining on board and provide necessary consular assistance."

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases aboard the 'Diamond Princess,' which carried 14 Koreans, continues to rise sharply day by day. The previous day, Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare announced that 88 additional confirmed cases were identified among cruise ship passengers after testing for COVID-19 infection. As a result, the total number of infected individuals on the Diamond Princess has increased to 542.

Six of our nationals and one Japanese spouse who were on the cruise ship "Diamond Princess" docked at Yokohama Port, Japan, arrived at Gimpo Airport on the 19th by the presidential aircraft and are heading by bus to a temporary living facility within the National Incheon Airport Quarantine Station. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@