The outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus appears to be having its toll on South Korea as it prepares to greet thousands of government officials and corporate executives later this month for the world’s biggest information technology meeting for members of the Geneva-based International Telecommunications Union.

The government is seeking to take precautionary measures, but at the same time seems to be treading lightly to avoid tension with other ITU member countries.

The dilemma surfaced when reports say that the ITU had not given a green light to Korea’s Science Ministry, the state agency in charge of preparing and hosting the event, to minimize the attendance of African members.

The ministry has requested countries such as Guinea and Liberia to send representatives or ambassadors in Northeast Asia to attend the conference in lieu of officials dispatched from their homelands through the ITU and Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

While the move was considering that number of people who have contracted Ebola in West Africa reached more than 8,000 as of last Sunday with the death toll hitting over 3,800, the ITU said Seoul holds no authority to enforce such measures on the forum members.

“We have asked them as precautions, but it is true that we cannot force them to replace (the African members) with their representatives or keep them from attending,” said Lee Sang-hak, deputy secretary general of the ITU Plenipotentiary Secretariat.

This is because Korea cannot demand and suppress ITU members’ basic right to participate in an international gathering, he added.

Lee stressed that the secretariat would work closely with the Foreign Ministry as to not cause any diplomatic tension, while ensuring safety during the conference.

But this may be easier said than done, industry watchers said, as up to 35 people from the three West African ITU member countries have registered to attend the three-week event that will kick off on Oct. 20.

“Whenever there is a conference such as this one that occurs amid a global epidemic, the issue of how to politely put up quarantine measures is big,” said one IT industry executive, declining to be identified.

Meanwhile, the Science Ministry said it is putting the final touches on turning Busan’s BEXCO exhibition center into an international venue consisting of 100 conference rooms not only for the ITU delegates but also for private businesses.

Some 200 ITU staff from Geneva, Switzerland, will join with about 700 Korean staff to operate and manage the event.

Korea’s Lee Chae-sub, a KAIST researcher who is competing with candidates of Turkey and Tunisia for the ITU Telecommunication Standardization directorship, will be holding an election campaign until the final voting on Oct. 23.

By Park Hyong-ki (hkp@heraldcorp.com)