South Korea plans to install Ebola detection devices at the Kaesong Industrial Complex this week at the request of North Korea, a government official said Tuesday.

The South's unification ministry will temporarily place three thermal scanners at the North's immigration office in the zone in the form of "gratuitous lease," as exporting such a strategic material to the country is prohibited under U.N. resolutions, the official told reporters. 

Each device is priced at around 15 million won (US$13,000), he added.

A daily average of 300-400 South Koreans commute to the industrial park, where more than 120 South Korean firms employ around 52,000 North Korean workers.

The South's government lent the North similar equipment to use at the Kaesong facilities in 2009, when fears of avian flu gripped the world.

The reclusive communist nation has taken tough measures to prevent the outbreak of Ebola epidemic in its territory. It announced plans to put all foreign visitors under medical observation for 21 days.

Foreign envoys in Pyongyang are reportedly concerned about the move's negative impact on their diplomatic activities and a variety of humanitarian aid programs.

The Voice of America (VOA) quoted Brazilian Ambassador to North Korea Roberto Colin as saying Pyongyang is taking the toughest measures against foreign visitors regarding the Ebola virus. 

He raised the need for scrutinizing whether it is in breach of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which calls on a host country to ensure foreign envoys freedom of movement and travel in its territory, according to the VOA. (Yonhap)