Pakistan gets South Korean grant to ease impact of coronavirus

ISLAMABAD: South Korea on Saturday announced $800,000 of grant to help Pakistan fight over impacts of coronavirus on the country and vowed to extend support in various sectors.

Ambassador of Republic of Korea to Pakistan Kwak Sang Kyu called on Secretary Economic Affairs Division Noor Ahmed and lauded Pakistan’s effort to contain the COVID-19 pandemic and steps taken to combat locust swarms. He assured government of Korea’s cooperation to Pakistan and handed over a ‘note verbale’ of Korean grant of $800,000 for Pakistan to fight against COVID-19.

Pakistan has received grants and loans from various international sources to support its efforts to combat coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the country. Asian Development Bank announced $2 million grant to help Pakistan strengthen COVID-19 detection, improve infection prevention and control, and boost the country’s capacity to respond to the pandemic.

Sang Kyu said the Korean grant in shape of cash and equipment will be provided through World Health Organization to support mitigation measures against Covid-19 in Pakistan.

Korean International Cooperation Agency, Korean companies (K- Water, KEN) also contributed in the grant.

The ambassador hoped that the grant assistance would be instrumental in effectively containing the spread of COVID-19 and providing a relief to Pakistan’s healthcare sector. He said under the bilateral framework arrangements, the Korean government will continue to support Pakistan in different sectors like health, information technology, energy (solar) and communication (roads). He renewed strong commitment of the government of Korea towards further strengthening and expanding bilateral economic cooperation.

The secretary economic affairs division informed the ambassador about the steps being taken by the government to mitigate the adverse impact of the COVID-19. The secretary thanked the Korean government for the continued support to Pakistan especially during difficult times. He reiterated the resolve of the government of Pakistan to further solidify the economic cooperation between the two countries.