South Korea has arranged a series of special flights to help more than 780 citizens and their families return home from Italy and Peru, which are struggling to contain the fast-spreading novel coronavirus.
For those in Italy, the government has organized two chartered flights to bring back 581 people.
The first plane will transport passengers from Rome and is scheduled to arrive in Seoul next Wednesday.
A second flight from Milan will land at Incheon International Airport next Thursday.
According to the foreign ministry, 202 people in Peru, including tourists and volunteers of the state aid agency KOICA, will fly out on a government flight and stop in Mexico City before arriving on Saturday.
The government has been in talks with other countries, including Mongolia and Rwanda, to arrange special flights to assist the return of Korean nationals following border controls and the suspension of commercial flights due to the virus outbreak.■
<Photo: Yonhap News>
