Aerial photo shows the Yangtze River bridge during the morning rush hour in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, April 15, 2020. (Xinhua/Li He)

The consul general of South Korea in Wuhan said on Thursday he was impressed by China's efforts in containing the COVID-19 epidemic in the past few months, envisaging more China-South Korea cooperation in the "post-epidemic time." 

Kang Seung-seok, the consul general of South Korea in Wuhan who arrived in the city on February 20, 27 days after the lockdown began, praised China's decisive move and Chinese people's wisdom and selfless participation in combating the virus.

China applied strict and proper measures to stop the virus, and Chinese people are taking good care of personal hygiene as well, Kang noted. Besides, the cooperation of Chinese people also played an important role, he said. 

Kang noted he was touched not only by the story of constructing a makeshift hospital in 10 days, but also ordinary stories, such as a young female medical worker who cut her long hair before leaving for the then-epicenter. 

"I experienced all the dark time here in Wuhan, and I was moved by the city's will to revive itself," said Kang.

Kang noted that China's strict regulations and well-behaved people are things that South Korea needs to learn from. Besides, South Korea's experience of rapid diagnosis and treatment, as well as timely provision of medical supplies is also helping in taming the virus. 

Kang stressed that the official data published by other countries, not only China, is trustworthy as there are standards for the publication and there are other factors that may be known only to the experts involved in the statistics.

Kang said 2020, which marks the 28th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and South Korea, is also the 20th anniversary of establishing friendly city ties between Wuhan and Chungju City in South Korea. It is also the 10th anniversary of setting up the consulate general of South Korea in Wuhan.

He pointed out that the two countries have made great progress in economic, trade, investment and interpersonal exchanges. However, through this outbreak, the two countries have also cooperated in health and epidemic prevention and shared information. This will not only deepen the friendship, but also become an important opportunity for the people of the two countries to improve their relations. 

There will be more cultural exchanges between the two countries as well, and boosting the travel industry of the two countries is very possible, Kang said.

In this special time, the people and governments of the two countries have put themselves in each others' shoes, helped each other and overcome difficulties together, said Kang.

The two countries have given each other medical supplies and shared information, becoming positive models for other countries. The mutual support has been material, technical and also emotional, and they have been able to share the latest information, Kang said.