By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter

A 32-year-old South Korean worker at the Gaeseong Industrial Complex in North Korea has been diagnosed with influenza A, the first such infection to be detected north of the border, according to the Ministry of Unification, Monday.

The man, identified by his surname Seo, exhibited fever symptoms last Saturday and was diagnosed with the H1N1 flu after being examined in the South.

This is the first case detected at the industrial zone in the isolated North.

In fear of the fast-spreading virus, the government has provided the Gaeseong site with anti-viral vaccines, enough for about 50 people, and secured a small amount of Tamiflu to treat about 100 people, ministry officials said.

The South closed and sterilized an office and dormitory that Seo and his three co-workers used, a ministry official said.

The three returned to the South with Seo but the result of their flu tests were negative, the official said.
The government checked about 300 other South Koreans working at the complex but no one showed fever symptoms, he added.

In a bid to prevent from spreading the disease, South Koreans must undergo fever checkups whenever they depart for and from the industrial park.

South Korea reported the flu case to North Korea in the morning and advised it to check all North Korean workers at the complex whether they have a fever or not, the official said.

Currently, nearly 20,000 North Koreans are working in the industrial park, according to the ministry.

ksy@koreatimes.co.kr