South Korea To Donate Respirators Medical Equipment, Expertise To Colombia

Colombian President Ivan Duque announced yesterday that the government of South Korea will provide Colombia with rapid Coronavirus COVID-19 detection tests, respirators and other health equipment and expertise to assist the Andean country in the fight against the global pandemic.

President Duque spoke with South Korean President Moon Jae-In via telephone, requesting assistance with the public health crisis. Duque commented that it was “a deeply emotional call”, since Moon recalled that 70 years ago the soldiers of the Colombia Battalion were in the Korean War “helping democracy, institutions, and was the only Latin American contingent in that war”.

“He expressed to me the great admiration and gratitude that South Korea has for our country,” said the Colombian president. “I want to say that he made it very clear to me that they are going to support our country with thousands of tests, so that we can advance in rapid tests and effective tests.”

Duque noted that South Korea will also make “a kind of reinforcement in logistics to facilitate the arrival of respirators in our country, knowing that today in the world there is great competition for this type of medical tools,” and that South Korea is willing to “support our country with many utensils and implements for the health sector,” added the president.

Duque indicated that as soon as cooperation is defined, a Colombian Air Force plane will fly to Korea to bring the supplies and equipment to Colombia. The President stated that “in that conversation, I was able to express to him not only my solidarity, but also our congratulations for the way in which they have faced COVID-19.”