Uzbekistan helps return of visiting S. Korean expert for giving coronavirus advice
SEOUL, April 23 (Yonhap) -- About 200 South Koreans, including a medical expert dispatched to help Uzbekistan with the coronavirus outbreak, will fly home from the Central Asian nation this weekend on a special flight arranged by Tashkent in a show of appreciation to the expert, officials said Thursday.
Choi Jae-wook, a preventive medicine professor at Korea University, has been in Uzbekistan since late last month, after accepting his government's request for him to help Uzbekistan cope with the coronavirus outbreak.
But Uzbekistan's nationwide lockdown over the virus outbreak left Choi stranded there, like many other foreign nationals. Tashkent also announced it will shut down all airports and suspend flight operations until early May.
Taking the circumstances into account, the Uzbek government decided to arrange the special flight to help Choi return home, a foreign ministry official told reporters.
The flight, scheduled to arrive Sunday, will also bring around 200 South Korean nationals home, as well as about 30 others, including Americans, Canadians and Japanese, to help them fly back to their countries.
Choi was originally planning to stay in Uzbekistan for the consultation for two weeks, but he extended his stay for two more weeks at the request of the Uzbekistan government, the officials added.
The same flight will head back loaded with Korean-made coronavirus test kits, enough to run 20,000 tests, according to Seoul officials.
elly@yna.co.kr
(END)
-
Ateez to drop new Japanese EP next week
-
S. Korea to resume issuing short-term travel visas, e-visas next month
-
(2nd LD) BTS wins three Billboard Music Awards, marking 6th year to win an award
-
Crypto investor probed over allegedly visiting house of Terraform's CEO
-
(2nd LD) N. Korea still unresponsive to S. Korea's outreach for talks on COVID-19: official
-
(LEAD) Yoon, PPP lawmakers travel to Gwangju en masse to commemorate 1980 democracy uprising
-
S. Korea to resume issuing short-term travel visas, e-visas next month
-
S. Korea to send condolence delegation to UAE over death of president
-
(LEAD) At least 8 injured in S-Oil refinery explosion in Ulsan: firefighters
-
(LEAD) Biden set to arrive in S. Korea for first summit with Yoon
-
S. Korea to resume issuing short-term travel visas, e-visas next month
-
(LEAD) At least 8 injured in S-Oil refinery explosion in Ulsan: firefighters
-
(2nd LD) 8 injured in S-Oil refinery explosion in Ulsan: firefighters
-
At least 4 injured in S-Oil refinery explosion in Ulsan: firefighters
-
(LEAD) Biden set to arrive in S. Korea for first summit with Yoon