Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus – Republic of Korea

Supply-chain Risk Briefing

1) Summary On July 21, 2015, an outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in South Korea was reported by the WHO. It is currently classified as low grade, with the specific scale of infection or scope of spread not yet confirmed.

2) Supply-chain impact

• Potential disruption to manufacturing and logistics operations within South Korea - workplace closures, labor shortages, transportation delays, etc.
• Risk of logistics delays due to enhanced quarantine measures on aviation and maritime transport routes within Asia
• Potential impact on production and supply-chain continuity in South Korea's key export industries including electronics, automotive, and chemicals
• Disruption to technical support and quality management operations in global supply chains if cross-border personnel movement is restricted

3) Watch points

• Additional quarantine measures by the South Korean government and potential restrictions on industrial facility operations
• Trends in enhanced quarantine measures by major trading partners (China, Japan, United States) on cargo/personnel from South Korea
• Occurrence of logistics processing delays at major Asian ports and airports