(LEAD) S. Korea fills vacant Wuhan consul general post to support citizens in virus epicenter

(ATTN: ADDS more info in 4th para)

SEOUL, Feb. 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korea on Wednesday appointed a new consul general for the coronavirus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan to fill the post that had been left vacant for some three months, the foreign ministry said.

Kang Seung-seok, former chief of the Korean Consular Office in China's Dalian, took the position amid Seoul's stepped-up efforts to provide consular assistance to some 100 South Koreans in Wuhan, the epicenter of the deadly COVID-19 virus, and its vicinity.

His predecessor, Kim Young-geun, stepped down in November after he reportedly came under fire for improper remarks.

Kang will depart for Wuhan on Wednesday night aboard a cargo plane that South Korea plans to send to Wuhan to deliver relief items, including medical gloves.

Entering the foreign service in 1988, Kang has served in various China-based posts, including those in Qingdao, Hong Kong and Shenyang.

sshluck@yna.co.kr
(END)