[A summarized unofficial version of the press release]

Expanded Gateway at Incheon International Airport:

No Concerns Over Unknown Emerging Infectious Diseases

- The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) recently conducted a joint exercise to prepare for potential risks of unknown emerging infectious diseases arriving from abroad.

- Incheon International Airport reviewed its preparedness for emerging infectious diseases ahead of the Terminal 2 expansion.

- The exercise aimed to enhance response capacities across all stages, from screening and disease control to medical response.

Osong, 13th September 2024 – The Capital Regional Center for Disease Control and Prevention of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) announced that a joint exercise to prepare for "Disease X" (an unknown emerging infectious disease) was held at Incheon International Airport's Terminal 2 on Tuesday, September 3, beginning at 10 a.m.

Given the critical need to prevent the entry and spread of Disease X, swift and effective responses by national quarantine stations in the capital region, such as the Incheon Airport National Quarantine Station, and other related organizations are essential at key points of entry, particularly where a large number of international travelers pass through. This exercise, conducted in advance of the upcoming Terminal 2 expansion, aimed to ensure readiness against the potential threat of Disease X as the number of flights and passengers is expected to increase.

* The Terminal 2 expansion, set to open on November 24, will increase the number of

gates from 160 to 220, allowing the airport to accommodate up to 100 million passengers annually—an increase of 30 million.

Both public and private sectors were involved in the exercise, including various divisions of the KDCA, the Incheon Airport National Quarantine Station, Incheon International Airport Corporation, the Capital Region Infectious Disease Hospital (Seoul National University Bundang Hospital), local governments (Seoul, Incheon, Gyeonggi, and Gangwon), and medical institutions.

* Seoul National University Bundang Hospital was designated as a specialized medical institution on March 22, 2023, tasked with rapid diagnosis, treatment, and  systematic allocation of beds for infectious disease responses. Starting as a pilot project, the hospital is actively preparing for potential outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases by participating in discussions on response systems, training healthcare personnel, and establishing networks with related organizations.

During the exercise, trainees thoroughly examined all the necessary procedures related to each organization’ roles and readiness for Disease X in a simulated scenario. This includes testing individuals with suspected symptoms upon arrival (screening), managing patients and contacts (disease control), and assigning hospital beds and transferring patients through joint response situation rooms at a regional level (medical response). These activities were conducted through both simulation exercises and tabletop exercises.

* Assumption: Multiple patients infected with Disease X, which has broken out overseas, enter Korea.

Simulation exercises were conducted under the supervision of the Incheon Airport National Quarantine Station, which are designed to assess screening capacities in a congested scenario where multiple individuals with suspected symptoms appear after the expansion of the Incheon International Airport, drawing on experiences from the COVID-19 response.

Tabletop exercises were conducted under the supervision of the Capital Regional Center for Disease Prevention and Control, involving all relevant organizations. These exercises aim to clarify organization-specific roles and response procedures across all stages, from disease control to medical response.

Following this simulation exercise, a subsequent training session will be held on September 24, led by the Seoul National University Bundang Hospital as the Capital region Infectious Disease Hospital. This session is designed to assess medical institutions’ readiness for Disease X and enhance their medical response capacity.

Through this exercise, the Capital Regional Center for Disease Prevention and Control aims to further solidify collaboration among relevant organizations within the capital region and identity areas for improvement in response procedures for the outbreak of unknown emerging infectious diseases, referred to as Disease X. The center is committed to ensuring that faster and more coordinated measures are implemented should such diseases occur, based on insights gained from this simulation exercise.

Dr. Youngmee Jee, Commissioner of the KDCA, stated, “With rising global concerns over the emergence of unknown infectious diseases, it is more critical than ever to review our preparation and response systems.” She added, “We will strive to protect public health and lives through continuous and repeated simulation exercises.”

* For detailed information, please refer to the press release written in the Korean language in the file attached below.