Turkey says S. Korea safe for travel after MERS outbreak

SEOUL, July 29 (Yonhap) -- Turkey expressed confidence Wednesday that South Korea is safe for travel following the announcement of the end of the MERS outbreak here, the Foreign Ministry said.

Lee Myung-yul, director-general of the ministry's overseas Koreans and consular affairs bureau, met with his Turkish counterpart, Mehmet Samsar, in Seoul earlier in the day and the two sides discussed a wide range of consular issues, including the recent outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome in South Korea, the ministry said in a press release.

A total of 186 people have been diagnosed with MERS since the first case was reported in May. Of them, 36 people have died.

On Tuesday, South Korea declared an effective end to the outbreak as the number of cases remained flat for 23 days.

"The Turkish side said they are confident that South Korea is a safe travel destination," the ministry said.

During the talks, the two sides also discussed ways to resolve difficulties experienced by South Korean businesses operating in Turkey.

South Korea asked Turkey for its cooperation on issuing work permits and renewing residence permits for South Korean nationals and businesses there, the ministry said.

hague@yna.co.kr
(END)