'No problem with China'

By Chung Hyun-chae

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs shrugged off the possibility that the trip by a suspected Korean with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) to China could boil over into a diplomatic dispute between the two countries.

The 44-year-old man left for China on a business trip even though he showed clear signs of MERS, including a high fever, after visiting his father who was the third confirmed patient.

He tested positive in a primary test conducted in China.

“Given that it was an individual behavior and was not intentional, the case will unlikely be addressed on the national level,” a foreign ministry official told The Korea Times. “At the moment, the ministry is unlikely to express a formal regret or apology to Beijing over the matter.”

He said that if a Chinese patient came to Korea in similar situation, Seoul would also not demand an apology.

The official also emphasized that the incident was not a serious mistake by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.