TRUMP WAREHOUSING AND SELLING MASKS AS EMOLUMENTS
By Kim Hyung-hwan, UPI News Korea
A U.S. cargo flight carrying 2 million protective masks is set to depart from the Incheon International Airport early Monday. Photo courtesy of the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs
SEOUL, May 11 (UPI) -- South Korea has sent 2 million protective face masks to the United States for fighting the COVID-19 novel coronavirus.
A cargo flight departed early Monday, carrying face masks that will be provided to U.S. medical staff, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The ministry said that the delivery is a follow-up measure after the telephone talks between the two countries' heads of state late March.
U.S. President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in agreed to join hands in fighting the pandemic.
"We hope that the two countries will be able to overcome the common challenge of COVID-19," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Still, exports of face masks are strictly banned in South Korea, and the police have arrested and charged smugglers of antiviral gear, including masks. Only shipments that are designated as humanitarian aid are allowed.
Korea's Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs also said Thursday that it will provide half a million masks to U.S. veterans of the Korean War.
Masks were scarce in supply in South Korea in February and March, so the Korean government responded by rationing individual purchases to just two masks per week. Back then, the daily number of COVID-19 infections was in the hundreds.
The decreasing number of infections eased the supply shortage over the past weeks, although current numbers indicate a new rise due to cases linked to a Seoul nightclub outbreak.
By Kim Hyung-hwan, UPI News Korea
A U.S. cargo flight carrying 2 million protective masks is set to depart from the Incheon International Airport early Monday. Photo courtesy of the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs
SEOUL, May 11 (UPI) -- South Korea has sent 2 million protective face masks to the United States for fighting the COVID-19 novel coronavirus.
A cargo flight departed early Monday, carrying face masks that will be provided to U.S. medical staff, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The ministry said that the delivery is a follow-up measure after the telephone talks between the two countries' heads of state late March.
U.S. President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in agreed to join hands in fighting the pandemic.
"We hope that the two countries will be able to overcome the common challenge of COVID-19," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Still, exports of face masks are strictly banned in South Korea, and the police have arrested and charged smugglers of antiviral gear, including masks. Only shipments that are designated as humanitarian aid are allowed.
Korea's Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs also said Thursday that it will provide half a million masks to U.S. veterans of the Korean War.
Masks were scarce in supply in South Korea in February and March, so the Korean government responded by rationing individual purchases to just two masks per week. Back then, the daily number of COVID-19 infections was in the hundreds.
The decreasing number of infections eased the supply shortage over the past weeks, although current numbers indicate a new rise due to cases linked to a Seoul nightclub outbreak.
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