A Korean employee who was dispatched to SK Hynix's Chongqing factory in China tested positive for COVID-19 after returning to Korea. Photo by Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Reporter Han-ah Na] The operation of SK Hynix's Chongqing factory in China was temporarily suspended after a Korean employee dispatched to the factory tested positive for COVID-19 upon returning to Korea.
According to the state-run Xinhua News Agency on the 29th, Chongqing's epidemic prevention authorities announced that a Korean national employee of SK Hynix who worked at the Chongqing factory tested positive in a nucleic acid test at Incheon Airport on the 28th.
The Chongqing authorities stated that the employee showed no COVID-19 related symptoms and is considered an "asymptomatic carrier."
Chongqing immediately closed the factory where the employee worked and began nucleic acid testing for all employees at the factory. In addition, emergency measures such as epidemiological investigation and on-site disinfection are underway. The hotel where the employee stayed was also closed, and nucleic acid tests are being conducted on guests who stayed there since the 25th.
The exact route of infection for the employee has not yet been confirmed. There is a possibility of infection at the airport, hotel, or restaurant during transit from China to Korea.
Meanwhile, in China, asymptomatic carriers who test positive are not classified as confirmed cases if they do not exhibit symptoms such as coughing or fever. Chongqing health authorities are conducting an investigation into the source of infection.
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