S. Korea, China hold video conference on fight against new coronavirus

SEOUL, March 13 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and China on Friday held a working-level video conference on joint efforts to halt the spread of the new coronavirus, including ensuring the stable supply of face masks and other quarantine items, the foreign ministry said.

Kang Sang-wook, the ministry's director-general for Northeast Asian affairs, and his Chinese counterpart Wu Jianghao led the conference, which also involved the two countries' health and other related officials.

Kang said that South Korea has been carrying out a quarantine program based on "openness, transparency and democratic procedures," while stressing that through close international cooperation, the world can overcome the COVID-19 outbreaks.

Kang also called for close cooperation in the supply of filtering masks and said that close people-to-people and economic exchanges between the two countries should continue despite the outbreaks.

The Chinese side pledged to continue communication and cooperation with South Korea in coping with the pandemic, the ministry said.

Meanwhile, the Chinese government has decided to send 1 million face masks to South Korea in addition to its earlier provision of 1.1 million face masks and 10,000 items of protective clothing, the Chinese Embassy in Seoul said.

As of Friday morning, South Korea reported 7,979 cases with 67 deaths. As of Thursday, China clocked 80,813 cases with 3,176 fatalities.

sshluck@yna.co.kr
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