The death of a senior diplomat of Republic of Korea (ROK) in China was not caused by food-originated diseases, although he died after eating a tuna sandwich, Chinese Health Minister Chen Zhu said on Wednesday.
The death of Whang Joung-il was not caused by food related diseases, and "I was 100 percent sure" of that, Chen said at a press conference in response to a question raised by a Wall Street Journal reporter.
The Ministry of Health has organized authoritative experts to conduct medical test on Whang's case to find out the cause of his death and the result had been handed out to the ROK side via diplomatic channels, Chen said, adding the ministry was looking forward to exchange ideas with the ROK in order to further determine the cause.
Chen said he had read a report from a ROK media that quoted a leading ROK institution that Whang's death was caused by excessive work and cardiologic diseases.
Whang, 52, a major diplomat at the ROK embassy in Beijing, suffered severe stomach pains and vomiting after eating a sandwich bought nearby on July 28. He was brought to the Beijing's Vista Clinic the following morning and died two hours later.
"Minister Whang was an old friend of China. We feel grieved about his death, and I want to take the opportunity to express our condolences to Whang's family and the ROK People," Chen said.
He said Whang had made great contribution to the Sino-ROK relationship, and "any media reports that play up his death were a disrespect to him and not humanitarian".
Source: Xinhua
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