South Korea plans to send 600,000 coronavirus testing kits to the United States on Tuesday in the first such shipment following a request from US President Donald Trump, a Seoul official said on Monday.
Trump made the request for testing kits in a telephone call on March 25 with President Moon Jae-in, as the United States was grappling with fast-growing outbreaks in many states.
US GOVERNMENT MADE THE PAYMENT
A US Federal Emergency Management Agency cargo plane carrying the equipment is scheduled to leave at 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday, the official said on condition of anonymity due to the diplomatic sensitivity of the issue.
The kits were made by two of the three companies that secured preliminary arrival late last month from the US Food and Drug Administration, the official said.
The shipments will be handed over to and paid for by the US government, while the additional 150,000 kits will be exported in the near future to be sold via an unspecified local retailer, the official said.
South Korea credits part of its success to moves by government officials and private companies to develop and secure regulatory approval for tests, allowing the country to quickly test thousands of people. “We’ve moved as quickly as possible to get necessary clearances given the urgency of the situation there,” the South Korean official said.