In a letter to the Department of Public Health, South Korean Consul Cheol Wan Chu said his office on Guam was receiving many requests from South Koreans who wanted to participate in the Commonwealth Health Center’s internship program.
In an interview yesterday, Consular Assistant Jonathan Joo, who is also the secretary general of the Korean Association of Saipan, said the consulate was still waiting for Public Health’s reply.
Joo said the consulate was surprised to hear about the nine nurses who were accompanied by Jay Kim to CHC last week.
Kim, who collected fees from the nurses, was unaware that CHC did not have a sanctioned internship program for medical personnel.
Joo said the consulate is willing to help nurses from South Korea but is also trying to make sure that everything is done in a legal way.
He said they don’t want their fellow Koreans get into trouble on Saipan.
Joo said the nine Korean nurses who sacrificed their jobs back home will stay on island for three months only and are still “waiting for something they paid for.”
Kim, for his part, said there was nothing wrong about helping the nurses get a chance to gain experience on Saipan while learning to speak English.
He admitted charging the nurses for transportation and “arrangement” fees.
