3 S. Korean firms sign contracts to supply coronavirus test kits to U.S.

SEOUL, April 8 (Yonhap) -- Three South Korean companies have inked contracts with the U.S. government to export coronavirus test kits, with shipments likely to take place next week, a foreign ministry official said Wednesday.

The companies won interim approval last month from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the exports, after U.S. President Donald Trump voiced hope to import Korean-made medical equipment to fight the COVID-19 pandemic during a phone call with President Moon Jae-in.

"The process of the companies making the contracts with the U.S. federal government has been wrapped up," the official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

"The next phase is to deliver the products, and I heard that the goods could actually be shipped to the U.S. possibly sometime next week," he added.

A growing number of countries have recently asked the Seoul government to help secure test kits and other quarantine supplies, as South Korea's containment efforts have started to show positive signs, with its daily number of new COVID-19 cases at around 50 or fewer in recent days.

sshluck@yna.co.kr
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