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| Boxes of masks from China's Shanghai are stacked in front of Busan City Hall on Wednesday. Courtesy of Busan City |
By Park Si-soo
Shanghai has sent 500,000 face masks to South Korea as new coronavirus cases here in recent days outnumber those in China.
This marked a total reversal of the donor-recipient position of the two countries.
Seoul has donated millions of masks and medical equipment to China in a show of friendship despite a supply shortage in virus-hit areas here that sparked massive criticism.
The masks ― 100,000 for medical workers and 400,000 for citizens ― were flown to Incheon International Airport on Tuesday. Under the supervision of Korea Red Cross, they were taken to Daegu and surrounding North Gyeongsang Province, the center of the nation's ballooning coronavirus epidemic.
Meanwhile, Korea Red Cross said two other Chinese cities ― Shaoxing and Tsingtao ― have expressed a willingness to donate masks, medical goggles and other goods necessary to treat coronavirus patients.
