South Korea on Wednesday appointed its new consul general in Wuhan, the central Chinese city at the epicenter of the novel coronavirus.
Kang Seung-seok, former chief of the Korean Consular Office in China's Dalian, will take up the post once he arrives in the capital of Hubei province. He was heading to the city on a South Korean government plane carrying anti-virus relief items for China.
During a video conference with other South Korean diplomats in China earlier in the day, he described his new position as an “important mission” and vowed to do his best to protect South Koreans in the city and overcome difficulties amid the ongoing outbreak of the contagious disease.
Around 100 South Koreans are still believed to be in Wuhan and nearby areas. South Korea is known to be the only country that has not withdrawn diplomats from Wuhan.
The consul general post had been vacant for three months after the previous consul general, Kim Young-geun, stepped down for making inappropriate remarks.