President Moon Jae-in on March 25 visits a lab at Seegene, one of the producers of Korea's COVID-19 diagnostic reagents and kits. (Yonhap News)

By Lee Hana

President Moon Jae-in on March 25 paid a visit to the labs of Seegene, one of the producers of Korea's COVID-19 diagnostic reagents and kits.

"This is the source of our globally recognized preventive measures against the coronavirus. The results of our response can be seen in recent figures, with new cases falling and those who've fully recovered growing in number. This was made possible by the rapid development of diagnostic reagents that gave us a head start," he said.

"A large number of these reagents and kits are already being exported to countries around the world, and helping each of their quarantine efforts. I heard that in Seegene's case, around 95% is sent abroad."

He added, "A short while ago, CNN visited this very facility to find out how Korea developed a test kit in three weeks. Other foreign media have been paying close attention to our diagnostic capabilities and swift authorization of diagnostic reagents. Recently, the export of our testing kits has been discussed at the private and government levels, with requests from numerous countries."

During his visit, the president was briefed on the expedited authorization protocol for diagnostic reagents and kits, and pledged his administration's active support for the producers of such kits used in the global fight against COVID-19.

hlee10@korea.kr