The South Korean Embassy in China held a media briefing on the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) epidemic on the 17th. Officials of the South Korean Embassy stated that the MERS epidemic has entered the end stage and introduced several visa facilitation measures implemented to attract Chinese tourists. In addition, the South Korean side also responded that "China has spent more than 8 million to rescue South Korean MERS patients"... At the
briefing, the Korean Embassy's Political Envoy Park Junyong introduced to the Chinese media the current development of the MERS epidemic in South Korea and the South Korean government's Response measures, and focused on the specific measures taken by the South Korean authorities to restore normal non-governmental exchanges between China and South Korea.
South Korean Embassy Political Envoy Park Junyong said at the briefing session that after the outbreak, the South Korean government has adopted a series of effective response measures. However, from the perspective of daily life, the (epidemic) has actually entered the end stage."
Currently, some countries and regions have lifted or lowered travel warnings to South Korea, and the official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China has also deleted Announcement of travel to Korea during the MERS epidemic.
When asked about the specific time when South Korea announced the end of the epidemic, a South Korean official who attended the briefing said that if there are no new confirmed MERS patients before August 2, the epidemic can be declared over. The outbreak of the
MERS epidemic has caused severe damage to South Korea’s tourism industry. According to Park Jung-ha, the president of the Beijing branch of the Korea Tourism Organization, the average number of Chinese tourists entering South Korea in June this year was about 7,000, while the number of tourists in the same period last year reached 16,000.
At the same time, many Chinese netizens expressed their dissatisfaction with South Korea regarding Kim, a South Korean MERS patient who became the first imported MERS patient in China.
South Korean MERS patient Kim was discharged from hospital
In response, Park Junyong said that this unpleasant (situation) is only temporary, and responded to the report that "China spent more than 8 million on the treatment of MERS patient Kim". Park Junyong said that this cost includes not only Kim’s treatment costs, but also the cost of quarantining related personnel. “South Korea has no requirements from China, and China bears the cost of treatment.” He also said that South Korea has also paid for China’s presence in Korea. The cost of treatment for patients with MERS.
As the MERS epidemic in South Korea has gradually eased, the popularity of Chinese tourists to South Korea has begun to pick up recently, but Park Junyong believes that the current non-governmental exchanges between the two countries are not enough.
For this reason, South Korea has adopted a number of measures to facilitate tourists in terms of visas. For example, from July 6 to the end of September, waivers of group tourist visa procedures, and the validity period of one-off visas issued during the period before and after the outbreak (3.1-6.30) It will be extended from the original three months to six months, and visa-free entry for Chinese tourists holding a Japanese group tourist visa will be allowed to attract Chinese tourists to South Korea. Park Zhengxia, president of the Beijing branch of
Tourism Corporation, also said that with the arrival of the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays in China, South Korea's tourism industry is expected to return to about 80% of its normal level.
When asked whether the South Korean side would accept the proposal of the Chinese ambassador to South Korea Qiu Guohong to open up South Korea for a three-month temporary visa exemption, Park Junyong said that he was studying and would like to exchange views with China on this.
In addition, regarding whether South Korean President Park Geun-hye will attend the 70th anniversary of the victory in the War of Resistance against Japan on September 3, Park Junyong said that he is studying and has not yet made a decision. (Sina International Zhang Chengpu)
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