A drive-through coronavirus test center in Goyang, South Korea on March 4, 2020, (Yonhap)
SEOUL, March 23 (Korea Bizwire) — Latin American countries are asking the South Korean government to share the insight it has accumulated in tackling the coronavirus as they are the beginning to face the effects of the worldwide pandemic.
South Korean officials met with their Argentinian counterparts on Thursday via video conference to share their experience fighting the coronavirus.
“Argentina was interested in our self-test and self-quarantine applications,” said Jang Myung-soo, the South Korean ambassador to Argentina.
“The pandemic situation in Argentina is currently in its early phase, so they were eager to listen to what we had to say.”
Argentina’s state media, Telam, said that South Korea “succeeded in containing the impact of the coronavirus” in a recent report.
Mexico also showed keen interest in South Korea’s anti-coronavirus strategy.
The South Korean Embassy in Mexico City reported that Sen. Tonatiuh Bravo from the Mexican Congress also made a request to share experiences on fighting the coronavirus after claiming that South Korea’s capability to curb the pandemic was “outstanding.”
Sen. Bravo was also interested in importing test kits as well as inviting health policy experts.
“The South Korean government sent relief worth US$500,000 to the Mexican government when it was suffering from the swine flu outbreak, which helped sustain the amicable relationship between the two countries as well as Mexico’s deep interest in South Korea’s health policies,” the embassy said.
The South Korean Embassy in Santiago, Chile also recently shared information on tackling the coronavirus upon request of the Chilean government.
The embassy offered Spanish translations of government documents on the coronavirus to local authorities.
Latin America is the latest region to face the coronavirus with a first confirmed case of the virus reported two months after the outbreak was first reported in Wuhan, China.
The region, however, has seen more than 3,000 individuals test positive for COVID-19, indicating the pandemic’s rapid expansion.
Major media outlets in Latin America are spotlighting South Korea’s anti-coronavirus strategy, focusing on rapid test procedures and an efficient healthcare system.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
