Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
Chinese woman quarantined as suspected case of mystery pneumonia
An ambulance is parked at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. A woman is being held in isolation there. Yonhap
By Jung Min-ho
People go through temperature screening at the Pyeongtaek-Dangjin Port, Wednesday. Yonhap
By Jung Min-ho
A Chinese woman who recently visited the Chinese city of Wuhan has been isolated in Korea as a suspected case of a mysterious viral pneumonia that has infected dozens of people in central China and put the rest of the world on alert.
According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) Wednesday, the woman, 36, who visited Wuhan between Dec. 13 and 17, has been isolated at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital in Seongnam after showing symptoms of the illness.
The woman entered Korea on Dec. 17 and has been here since, except for four days for a business trip to Xiamen in China (Dec. 26-30).
So far, 59 cases have been reported in Wuhan. On Sunday, the city's health commission said all patients have been treated in isolation and seven are in critical condition.
The cause has not yet been identified.
(WHO), which is closely monitoring the situation, said the main symptoms of pneumonia are fever, with some patients having difficulty breathing, and invasive lesions of both lungs, shown through chest X-rays.
According to the KCDC, the woman has symptoms of coughing, fever, sore throat and inflammation of both lungs. The KCDC said she started showing symptoms on Dec. 31.
Given that some of the patients were employees of a seafood market in Wuhan ― which has been closed since Jan. 1 ― the WHO said it could indicate that the pathogen may be linked to animals.
But the woman said she did not visit the market during her stay there.
After testing, the KCDC ruled out nine respiratory diseases, including Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and parainfluenza.
The assessment comes after Chinese health authorities excluded the possibility of bird flu, MERS and SARS, an acute viral respiratory disease that killed 774 people in 37 countries after first being reported in southern China in 2002.
The KCDC said it decided not to isolate health workers that had contact with the woman based on the WHO's assessment that the mysterious pneumonia does not seem to be transmissible between humans.
The KCDC said it has tightened monitoring of people entering Korea, especially those who come directly from Wuhan. Travelers from the city are required to go through temperature screening and fill out health information forms.
There are eight direct flights between Wuhan and Incheon a week.