South Korea will pay $120,000 to tourists who die from Mers there
In order to stop tourists from leaving because of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (Mers), South Korea has come up with a stop-gap measure.
If you contract Mers in Korea, its Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will pay you USD$3,000 (S$4,039).
This new initiative takes effect next Monday (June 22).
In Korea, Mers has claimed 20 lives with more than 100 people still trying to overcome the virus that they had caught.
Rocket News 24, Lonely Planet and Koreaboo reported that the Korean tourism industry has taken a huge hit with over 100,000 foreign tourists cancelling their trips there.
The economy, which was once booming due to the K-pop and K-drama craze, is now stagnant.
In its heyday, it benefited greatly from the 1 million tourist visits every month.
Now, nearly 3,000 schools have been closed with thousands of people still in quarantine in order to stem the deadly disease's spread.
According to reports from Korea, should a tourist catch Mers while in South Korea, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is willing to:
1. Pay for all medical and vacation expenses.
2. Pay an extra USD$3,000 (S$4,039) as compensation.
3. Should a death result, the victim's family will be compensated with 100 million won (S$120,000).
Source: Koreaboo, Rocket News 24, Lonely Planet
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