Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se met with the head of the World Health Organization on Thursday to discuss their joint response to the outbreak of the MERS virus in South Korea.
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome has claimed the lives of 23 people and infected 165 others since it was first reported in the country in late May.
The meeting between Yun and WHO Director-General Margaret Chan came as the U.N. agency chief is in Seoul to attend an international conference of nurses.
“Your arrival this time is very timely, when we are coping with this MERS challenge in Korea,” Yun said at the start of his meeting with Chan.
The WHO chief joked that the fact that she is here means the country is safe.
“My team left last week and I got a very good report that the government has really stepped up and gave a very robust and strong response and we began to see the cases coming down,” she said. “So we must keep up with the efforts and hopefully within a short time we can see the outbreak under control.”
Last week, a team of WHO and South Korean officials conducted a four-day investigation to determine the source and patterns of the disease here.
They concluded that the outbreak has been large and is complex, and more cases should be anticipated. (Yonhap)
