(MENAFN- QNA) South Korea's President Park Geun-hye delayed her US visit that was scheduled for later this week, Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday, amid the spread of the MERS virus that has killed nine South Koreans.
The move is "designed to take care of public safety, including putting a quick end to MERS," chief presidential press secretary Kim Sung-woo told reporters, referring to the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome virus.
Park has delayed the trip as "the people's safety is the top priority" and she will try to ease public concern at home, Kim said.
The move underscored her commitment to containing the virus. South Korea has been making intense efforts to stop the spread of MERS by mobilizing all resources, according to South Korea's (Yonhap) News Agency.
On Monday, Park gave full authority to a task force, composed of medical experts, to manage the outbreak. She has also visited the National Medical Center, a state-designated hospital for infected patients, in downtown Seoul.
Kim said South Korea and the US agreed to reschedule Park's trip there for "the earliest mutually convenient time."
The agreement was reached in a phone conversation between Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and US Secretary of State John Kerry earlier in the day.
Park's decision came as some lawmakers pressed her to delay the trip, saying the president should take the lead in containing the virus outbreak.
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