FM holds meeting with foreign diplomats on anti-coronavirus efforts

By Kim Seung-yeon

SEOUL, March 6 (Yonhap) -- Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha hosted a briefing session for foreign diplomats in Seoul on Friday in a bid to reinforce Seoul's call for the countries to refrain from placing excessive restrictions on Koreans over coronavirus concerns.

The meeting came as over 100 countries and territories are imposing entry restrictions or tougher quarantine procedures for people arriving from South Korea, including Japan, which has unveiled a set of tougher measures to limit entries from its Asian neighbor.

It is the second such session -- Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Gunn presided over a similar meeting on Feb. 25.

Seoul has stepped up diplomatic efforts to persuade foreign countries to refrain from what it calls "excessive restrictions" against Koreans. Kang has spoken to a number of her counterparts around the world to reassure them of Seoul's full commitment to fighting the virus.

In the meeting, Kang was expected to stress that the major outbreaks here have occurred not across the nation but in two regions in the country's southeast -- Daegu city and nearby North Gyeongsang Province -- with about 60 percent of the infections linked to a branch of a minor religious sect based in Daegu.

She was also expected to highlight that the recent surge in the infection tally is attributable to Seoul's swift and transparent moves to disclose related statistics to the public based on its advanced medical and quarantine systems.

Late on Thursday, South Korea added 518 more COVID-19 cases, bringing the total to 6,284, with 42 fatalities.

elly@yna.co.kr
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