Residents of Jincheon, Asan changing stance to welcome evacuees from Wuhan

SEOUL, Jan. 31 (Yonhap) -- Residents of Jincheon and Asan said Friday they will no longer oppose the government's decision to house South Korean nationals evacuated from China's Wuhan, the epicenter of the new coronavirus outbreak, in the two central South Korean towns.

Residents living near the Police Human Resources Development Institute in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, held an hourlong town meeting before deciding not to resist the government's accommodation plan.

Instead, the Asan residents asked for thorough quarantine measures by authorities.

Jincheon's residents announced a similar decision, saying they won't oppose the government's plan to send Wuhan evacuees to the National Human Resources Development Institute in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province.

Earlier, nearly 370 evacuees from Wuhan arrived at Gimpo International Airport in western Seoul and 350 of them were bused to two government-designated facilities in Jincheon and Asan, both about 90 kilometers south of Seoul.

They will be quarantined there for 14 days, the virus' known incubation period. Of those who arrived in Gimpo, 18 people were taken to two state-designated hospitals for further examination after showing signs of fever during additional health screenings at the airport.

The South Korean government is in talks with China to airlift the second batch of its nationals from Wuhan at night.

Asan and Jincheon residents voluntarily removed various protest banners and tents set up on the roads leading to the two government facilities.

"We didn't have any intention to block the government's accommodation plan. We're just angry at the government's abrupt location change from Cheonan to Asan," a resident said.

The changing atmosphere is also evident on social networking sites.

For instance, a "We're Asan" campaign is spreading among the Asan residents, while another resident expressed a desire to embrace Korean nationals fleeing from the Chinese viral disease.

Han Je-hee, a resident of Jincheon, also admitted that it is no longer possible to indiscriminately block a government decision. He said its campaign has shifted to calling for the government to heighten safety measures for residents.

"We didn't opposed the government's decision from the beginning. We just wanted it to know there are 30,000 residents living in a 1.2-km radius of the government training facility.

Jincheon County head Song Ki-sup has also promised to provide face masks and hand sterilizers to Jincheon residents living near the state-run facility.

ycm@yna.co.kr
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