Thirty-six Taiwanese tourists fall ill in South Korea

[WedgeAntilles]

Thirty-six Taiwanese tourists fall ill in South Korea

Central News Agency
2013-12-26 10:02 PM

Seoul, Dec. 26 (CNA) Thirty-six Taiwanese tourists in South Korea developed symptoms of food poisoning Wednesday but most of them have since recovered, the Taipei travel agency responsible for their trip said Thursday.

The 36 people who fell ill with vomiting and diarrhea were among 69 Taiwanese tourists traveling in two groups, the booking agency Lion Travel Service Co. said.

The agency said the sick tourists were taken to Dong-Shin General Hospital, where 34 were treated and discharged, while two were hospitalized with more serious symptoms.

One of the Taiwanese visitors, surnamed Chen, said she had severe diarrhea and vomited more than 10 times Wednesday night but felt much better after she was given an intravenous drip at the hospital.

Citing one of the attending doctors, the travel agency said the tourists most likely had gastroenteritis caused by food poisoning, but added that it was not clear what was the source of the problem.

However, Lotte JPB, the South Korean travel agency that hosted the tourists, said people in the two groups began reporting symptoms of food-poisoning after they had eaten roast pork at a big restaurant near Seoul.

Lion Travel said it will investigate the problem as other Taiwanese tourists to South Korea have reported similar symptoms recently.

The travel agency said it will cover the medical costs incurred by its clients in those cases.

(By Chiang Yuan-chen and Lee Hsin-Yin)