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| Only a handful of participants attend a conference hosted by the Korea Money and Finance Association at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry building in Seoul, Friday. People are reluctant to visit public places to avoid the possibility of contracting Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). Some companies have cancelled business trips of their employees to the Middle East and are also considering temporarily halting business projects there. / Yonhap |
By Park Si-soo
The outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is expected to derail President Park Geun-hye's ambitious drive to create a "second Middle East boom."
A number of companies have stopped sending their employees to the Middle East on business and are also considering temporarily halting business projects there.
The Korea Federation of SMEs, the nation's biggest lobby group for small and medium-sized companies, has decided to "indefinitely" delay sending a batch of market inspectors to the region.
"The delay was made due to fears that inspectors may be exposed to the MERS virus during the trip," a federation official said. "We will resume the project when such fears subside."
This collective phobia comes three months after the President highlighted the economic value of the Middle East market, calling the oil-rich region "the answer to our prayer for economic revitalization."
State bodies have since unveiled a series of plans to export more products and services to the region, which included "halal" certified food, nuclear power plants, and hospital and medical services.
The head of state has also encouraged young adults to find jobs there.
"We are afraid that the MERS crisis will dash hopes of people committed to looking for jobs in the Middle East," a labor ministry official said.
The MERS crisis has jeopardized several state projects.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport recently delayed sending negotiators to Kuwait for what its officials described as a "mega" project.
Ranking officials of the health ministry planned to visit Kuwait and Saudi Arabia this month to discuss bilateral cooperation on healthcare and medical services, but put it on the backburner amid the intensifying MERS crisis.
Officials noted that these projects had been "delayed, not canceled," saying they will be pushed forward again in the second half of the year.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs is in a dilemma over its planned forum and trade show attended by food experts from the United Arab Emirates. The two events will begin Thursday at aT Center in southern Seoul and continue through Sunday.
The ministry has yet to decide whether to host the events as planned.
"Nothing is certain," said a food ministry official familiar with the case. "We have asked the health ministry about how to cope with this. We will respect its decision."
Construction companies are on high alert. Nearly 13,000 Korean construction workers are staying in countries where MERS outbreaks have occurred. In Saudi Arabia alone, there are 3,912 workers from 32 builders, including Hyundai Construction and Engineering (E&C), Daewoo E&C and Daelim Industrial, according to the construction ministry.
"Thankfully, there is no infection reported," a ministry official said. "We are working close with Korean embassies there to tighten monitoring and get emergency treatment ready."
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