By Jung Min-ho
Three Korean citizens in mainland China were confirmed to have been infected with the new coronavirus, the Korean government said Monday.
Kim Gang-lip, deputy head of the central disaster headquarters, told reporters that three members of a family staying in Qingdao, in the country’s eastern province of Shandong, have tested positive for the virus, which has killed 904 people and infected nearly 41,000 in 29 countries over the past few weeks.
“The World Health Organization and the Chinese government notified on Sunday that they were confirmed to be infected,” Kim said.
The three ― a father and his two children ― are “in a stable condition” and have been treated at a local hospital, he said. The man is the spouse of a Chinese woman who was confirmed to have been infected with the virus on Jan. 31.
The government has no plan to bring the patients back to Korea. “As we are responsible for foreigners infected with the virus here, it is the Chinese government’s responsibility to take care of those in China,” Kim said.
He said the government will closely monitor the patients’ conditions and, if necessary, help them through the South Korean Consulate in Qingdao.
