by REERA YOO
South Korea’s defense ministry announced on Thursday that it will send team of 11 officials from the defense, foreign and health ministries to the Ebola-stricken Sierra Leone.
According to Yonhap, the team will first travel to Britain, where they will meet their British counterparts and finalize details of their trip. They will then travel to Sierra Leone and provide medical support from Nov. 13 to 21. Prior to the announcement, South Korean Vice Defense Minister Baek Seung-joo and John Astor, a parliamentary undersecretary of state at the British defense ministry, had discussed cooperation between the two nations in a phone conference Wednesday.
“Undersecretary Astor expressed his deep gratitude for our government’s decision to send officials to help eradicate Ebola,” the Korean defense ministry said in a press release. “He also pledged to provide support for our personnel in emergencies.”
The Blue House has pledged $5.6 million to help contain the deadly virus, which has already killed nearly 5,000 people. Meanwhile, Britain has funded the construction of a treatment center in Sierra Leone as well as deployed 750 military personnel and 10 healthcare workers.
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Photo courtesy of Yonhap
