Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong arrives at Gimpo International Airport, western Seoul, on May 19, 2020, after an inspection of the tech giant’s chip factory in the Chinese city of Xian the previous day. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, May 20 (Korea Bizwire) — Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong showed up at the exclusive arrival hall at Gimpo Airport Tuesday afternoon upon his return from a business trip to China, wearing a protective mask and gloves.
The de facto leader of South Korea’s top conglomerate was carrying a small suitcase that accompanied him on a three-day trip to China last Sunday.
Lee’s trip to China gained attention as the coronavirus has resulted in the cancellation of most business trips overseas.
As Lee returns to managing global operations following complex quarantine procedures, businesses are anticipating an impact on the landscape of current business trips.
Lee and his aides boarded a bus that took them to a temporary residential facility 10 minutes away from the airport to be tested for the coronavirus.
The business trip does not compel them to undergo a two-week self-quarantine since it was shorter than seven days, but the test is mandatory.
After the test, the group headed to Hotel Marinabay Seoul, a temporary residential facility designated by the government, the entrance of which was blocked by a two-meter-tall tent.
Lee and his aides were led inside by a staffer wearing a quarantine suit to undergo the test.
Lee will be allowed to return home only after his test results come back negative. Until the results come, he needs to stay at a designated space for between six and seven hours.
Even if the test results are negative, Lee will still be subject to two weeks of active monitoring.
Those on active monitoring are allowed to return to work, but they are required to type in daily status of their health on a mobile self-diagnosis app.
They should also contact a local quarantine worker once a day for a health check.
Lee went on a business trip to China on Sunday through a fast-track immigration procedure for Korean-Chinese businesses.
The fast-track procedure requires 14 days of health monitoring prior to departure and a health document that proves the traveler tested negative for the coronavirus issued 72 hours prior to departure.
After entering China, Lee and his team were placed in quarantine at a local facility while undergoing a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for the coronavirus. As a result, Lee had to take two rounds of coronavirus tests just to enter China.
The team was known to have spent extensive hours awaiting the test results at a local hotel in China.
Lee had to take three tests in total, including the test that he took after returning to South Korea.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
