Coronavirus: South Korea reports rise in cases as Seoul’s new consul general to China prepares to fly to Wuhan

South Korean envoy prepares to take up duties in epicentre of virus outbreak

Confirmed cases in South Korea now more than 50, while medical experts link 15 of 20 latest infections to one person

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Medical workers in Wuhan continue to treat patients for coronavirus as Seoul’s new consul general is expected in the city with a cargo of supplies donated by South Korean municipalities and businesses. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 8:42pm, 19 Feb 2020Updated: 9:48pm, 28 Feb 2020

South Korea has named its new consul general in Wuhan, epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, as Seoul reported a significant jump in its infection numbers.

Kang Seung-seok, former chief of the consular office in the northeastern city of Dalian, was due to leave Seoul for the capital of central Hubei province by air on Wednesday night with a cargo of medical supplies donated by South Korean local governments and the private sector, the Yonhap News agency reported.

His appointment came as China stepped up its efforts, including a door-to-door screening campaign, to contain the spread of the pneumonia-like illness that, as of Wednesday, infected about 61,700 people in Hubei and killed 1,921.

According to Yonhap, there were about 100 South Koreans living in and around Wuhan.

Kang Seung-seok moves from Dalian to Wuhan, the epicentre of the Coronavirus outbreak. Photo: Yonhap

On Wednesday, Seoul reported another 20 infections, taking the total to 51 confirmed cases. Eighteen of the 20 were from Daegu, 300 kilometres southeast of the capital, and 15 of those were believed to be linked to a 61-year-old woman who was confirmed as the 31st case on Tuesday, the Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said.

She developed a fever on February 10 but reportedly refused to be tested for the coronavirus on the grounds that she had not recently travelled abroad, the KCDC said.