The government says it helped 38 overseas Koreans return to South Korea from the northern Chinese city of Xian, which has been under lockdown since December 23 to curb a COVID-19 spread.

An official of the foreign ministry told reporters on Tuesday that the group safely arrived via two flights provided on December 23 and 30. 

The ministry added that, through its consulate general in Xian, it is notifying the Korean community there of quarantine rules and helping them secure daily necessities. 

Roughly three-thousand-300 South Koreans are estimated to be residing in Xian, which houses two Samsung Electronics’ memory chip assembly plants.  

With the city under lockdown for nearly two weeks now, city residents, including South Koreans, are suffering through a shortage of food and daily necessities.