Yi Whan-woo is a Korea Times journalist primarily covering finance. He writes in-depth articles on macroeconomy and financial markets and previously covered sports, politics, diplomacy and inter-Korean affairs, among others. Feel free to contact him at yistory@koreatimes.co.kr.
Gov't to set up English-language MERS hotline
By Yi Whan-woo
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is considering setting up an English-language hotline jointly with the Ministry of Health and Welfare to inform expatriates in the country about the latest developments in the in Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) crisis, a government official said Tuesday.
“It won’t take too long, given the circumstances where preventing infection and spread of MERS is urgent,” he said on condition of anonymity. “English will be the language we will use to answer calls from foreigners.”
He said the chance of providing support in other languages was “slim” at the moment.
“We still need to work on details, such as the number of hotline staff and people’s demand for certain languages,” he added. “Then we’ll decide what other measures should be taken.”
His comment came after the diplomatic corps called on the government to set up a hotline during a briefing at the foreign ministry’s headquarters in Seoul, Monday.
Ambassador for Overseas Koreans and Consular Affairs Lee Ki-cheol and officials from relevant ministries hosted the briefing to give accurate information on MERS and correct any misunderstandings.
Some 120 envoys, including ambassadors and representatives from intergovernmental organizations from 90 countries attended the closed-door session jointly organized by the foreign and health ministries.
The diplomats addressed their concerns about the coronoavirus, including running business and travelling in Korea, amid growing fears of the deadly respiratory disease. It has killed seven people in the country so far since its outbreak in Gyeonggi Province in late May.
“Their priority demand was to come up with the quickest way to report back to their respective governments if their nationals are infected with MERS,” a foreign ministry said, asking for his name not to be revealed.
According to the foreign ministry, the envoys were also concerned about the transmission of MERS through the air or physical contact, the lack of guidelines offered in languages other than Korean, the gap between central and local governments in fighting the disease, and precautions to take during outdoor festivals scheduled to take place in Seoul.