Maryland Imports 500,000 COVID-19 Testing Kits From Korean Firm, Thanks To Governor’s Korea-Born Wife

The U.S. state of Maryland has obtained 500,000 coronavirus test kits from a South Korean company thanks in part to the efforts of the Korean-American wife of Maryland Governor Larry Hogan.

Hogan and his wife, Yumi, were on hand at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport when the Korean Air 777, fitted for freight, arrived with the kits on board on the first flight between Korea and BWI. The test kits were made by LabGenomics, one of a number of South Korean companies producing them for both domestic use and export.

Hogan considered the purchase price of $9 million “a worthwhile investment,” the Baltimore Sun reported, when balanced against the extraordinary cost of shutting down factories, offices and shops while the virus is still costing lives.

Maryland as of Tuesday had recorded 13, 684 cases, 582 of whom died, among 114,135 cases across the U.S., including 42,303 deaths.

Hogan, welcoming the shipment, hinted at the differences that he and other governors had with the administration of President Donald Trump. Although a Republican like Trump, Hogan indicated he did not think the feds were doing enough for states battling COVID-19.

As he said earlier, “It’s not accurate to say there’s plenty of testing out there, and the governors should just get it done—that’s just not being straightforward.”

Talking in the state capitol of Annapolis, Hogan noted “the administration made it clear over and over again they want the states to take the lead,” according to The Sun. “We have to go out and do it ourselves. So, that’s exactly what we did.”

The Korean connection through his wife that had been essential in what he described as “an amazing team effort,” an effort the governor calls “Operation Enduring Friendship.” He and his wife had been in touch with South Korea’s ambassador to the U.S., Lee Soo Hyuck, in Washington since late March.

The Sun quoted Hogan as basing his “personal plea” on “the special relationship between Maryland and the Republic of Korea.” He and his wife called the ambassador on the day the disease was diagnosed in 66 people at a nearby nursing home, one of whom died—the first of 24 deaths at the home.

The governor gave full credit to Yumi, the former Kim Yumi, from a farming family in Korea’s South Cholla Province in the southwestern corner of the peninsula.

The governor and Yumi met in 2001 at an art exhibition and were married three years later as he was rising in state politics despite losses in campaigns for congress.  Elected to his first term as governor in 2014 and reelected four years later, he had already assumed the role of step-father to her three daughters by her first marriage. Yumi, meanwhile, completed degrees at the Maryland Institute College of Art, where she now teaches, and American University in Washington.

“Most importantly, I want to thank Maryland’s first lady, my wife, Yumi,” he said as they stood in front of the state capitol building. Arrayed behind them, on the steps of the capitol, were the flags of Korea, the U.S. and Maryland.  

The state, said Hogan, “owes an incredible debt of gratitude to the people of South Korea” for what he forecast was “an exponential, game-changing step forward on our large-scale testing initiative.”