More countries are requesting imports of novel coronavirus test kits from South Korea while such requests are also being made on humanitarian grounds.
According to an unnamed Seoul foreign ministry official, a total of 47 countries have so far asked about or made requests for importing South Korean-made test kits.
Such calls have been rising as South Korea has recently been garnering global recognition for its diagnostic capabilities and quarantine efforts to contain the new coronavirus outbreak.
The government has so far helped the United Arab Emirates to purchase 51,000 sampling kits used in coronavirus tests and Romania and Colombia to import 20,000 and 50,000 diagnostic kits, respectively.
As for the 39 countries that have called for humanitarian aid, the official said Seoul has been carrying out internal discussions.
During telephone talks with President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump also voiced hope that South Korea could provide test kits and other quarantine-related goods amid the rapid spread of the virus in the U.S.■
<Photo: Yonhap News>
