240 out of 380 Korean embassy staff in China infected with COVID-19

More than six out of 10 Korean embassy staff in China have tested positive for COVID-19. In China, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 is exploding, with an estimated 1.8 million new cases per day.

According to data received by Rep. Lee Jae-jeong, a member of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday, 240 diplomats and staff belonging to the Korean embassy, consulate general, and branch offices in China have tested positive for COVID-19 over the past two weeks. Out of the approximately 380 employees at all 10 diplomatic missions in China, this represents more than 63% of the employees. However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that none of the confirmed cases are severe, and more than 210 infected individuals have recovered and returned to work.

Several diplomats and staff at the Korean embassy in China have tested positive for COVID-19, which has caused setbacks to the consulate's work, such as visa issuance. The Korean consulates in Chengdu and Shenyang, China, temporarily suspended visa applications from Dec. 19 to 23 due to the spread of the virus.

Airfinity, a British healthcare information research company, has estimated that there are approximately 1.8 million new cases of COVID-19 in China per day, with an estimated 9,000 deaths per day. According to Reuters on Thursday, Airfinity has estimated that there have been some 100,000 deaths in China this month alone. Airfinity has also predicted that the number of new daily confirmed cases in China will peak on the Chinese New Year holiday and reach 3.7 million. China could have approximately 1.7 million deaths by the end of April. Zeng Guang, a former senior scientist at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in China, has also stated that the infection rate in China exceeds imagination, and more than 80% of Beijing citizens (some 21.88 million) may have been infected.


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