NEWS BRIEF

[Anchor Lead]

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun on Friday chaired an extended government meeting on the coronavirus outbreak, and designated Daegu city and Cheongdo county in the country's southeast as "special care zones" for the infectious disease, following a surge in confirmed cases in these areas.
The World Health Organization(WHO) said Thursday that South Korea can manage the recent increase of COVID-19. It said the increase does not signal a particular change in the global epidemiology but does signal that Korean authorities are tracing all the new cases very closely, and added that it's a manageable situation.
A message of support in the fight against the coronavirus posted on China's Web by Korean actress Lee Young-ae is gaining traction. Lee conveyed warm encouragement and support for all medical workers and citizens in China in a video released on the Internet on Thursday by the Chinese embassy in Korea. She said that South Koreans were extending a helping hand as China's closest friend and neighbor.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has made an official request for the United Nations to grant sanctions exemption so that medical supplies and equipment related to COVID-19 response can be delivered to North Korea. Richard Blewitt, IFRC's Permanent Observer to the UN, said the request is aimed at sending aid to North Korea that was requested by the country's Red Cross and public health ministry.