Seoul, ROK - Feb 25, 2020 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of street of Bukchon Hanok village, poster with epidemic prevention information in different languages
2. People walking
3. SOUDBITE (English) Alan Uselton, U.S. tourist (starting with shot 2):
"We had planned to spend a few days in Seoul and go to the DMZ and go to some museums. And, so far, everything we've tried to do has been closed."
4. Various of pedestrians wearing masks, traffic
5. Various of pedestrian, posters at bus stop
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Yang Junsok, professor, Catholic University of Korea (starting with shot 5):
"At least economic-wise, we can, I think, use the existing budget, but I think politically, the politicians, as well as the government, want to be seen as doing something, and they might think that getting additional budget will be easier than re-arranging the current budget so that COVID-19 is covered."
7. Various of street, pedestrians wearing masks
8. Various of posters with epidemic prevention information
9. People posing for photo at Bukchon Hanok village
10. Street of Bukchon Hanok village

The COVID-outbreak is adding uncertainties to the economic prospect in the Republic of Korea (ROK) as various sectors are suffering from the impact.

Bukchon Hanok village is a popular tourist destination in the country. The houses built in traditional Korean architectural style are the main attraction. But recently, nearby local businesses are having a hard time staying open as the coronavirus spread is scaring tourists away.

"We had planned to spend a few days in Seoul and go to the DMZ and go to some museums. And, so far, everything we've tried to do has been closed," said Alan Uselton, a tourist from the United States, at the empty street of the tourist spot.

Consumer sentiment for February in ROK saw its sharpest drop in nearly five years. Business sentiment is also slumping, even before the recent outbreak.
And manufacturers have long been suffering from slowing exports and disruptions to global supply chains.

President Moon Jae-in has called for the allocation of emergency funds to combat the coronavirus spread, but some experts have doubts over whether emergency funds can boost an economy already suffering from low growth.

"At least economic-wise, we can, I think, use the existing budget, but I think politically, the politicians, as well as the government, want to be seen as doing something, and they might think that getting additional budget will be easier than re-arranging the current budget so that COVID-19 is covered," said Yang Junsok, professor with the Catholic University of Korea.

Early forecasts suggest the tourism industry could lose anywhere between 2 and 4 billion dollars in revenues and 78,000 jobs as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.

As of 16:00 local time on Thursday, a total of 1,766 infections of COVID-19 have been confirmed in ROK.