Ministry of Justice "Entry Ban on Passport Holders Issued by Hubei Province"

Issued visas temporarily suspended... Use of foreigner automatic screening gates also halted
Entry denied for all foreigners who visited Hubei within 2 weeks... Severe penalties for false statements

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The government has decided to block entry to Chinese nationals holding passports issued by Hubei Province, China. The validity of visas already issued by consular offices under Hubei Province jurisdiction will be temporarily suspended. Entry will also be denied to all foreigners who have visited Hubei Province within the past 14 days.

The Ministry of Justice announced detailed measures on the 3rd to restrict entry from high-risk areas in China in response to the "Novel Coronavirus Infection (Wuhan Pneumonia)." These measures are based on decisions made at the previous day's intergovernmental meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, chaired by Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, and represent the Ministry of Justice's actions.

Accordingly, all Chinese passport holders whose passports were issued in Hubei Province (湖北/HUBEI) will be prohibited from entering South Korea. It does not matter where the departure point was immediately before arrival in the country. Initially, local airlines or shipping companies are required to verify the personal information page of passports at the boarding pass issuance stage. If not filtered at this stage, immigration officers will check passports during the domestic immigration inspection to block entry. Visas already issued by the Wuhan Consulate General, which has jurisdiction over Hubei Province, will be temporarily suspended. This applies to all passports, even if the passport issuance location is not Hubei.

Entry will also be completely blocked for foreigners who have visited Hubei Province within the past 14 days. To enforce this, quarantine stations will add a question to the "Health Status Questionnaire" asking whether the individual has visited Hubei Province within the last 14 days. If false answers are detected, in addition to penalties under the Quarantine Act, forced deportation and future entry bans will be imposed. However, spouses or direct lineal relatives of Korean nationals and holders of domestic permanent residency will be allowed entry on the condition of self-quarantine.

New visa issuance screening will also be strengthened. Visa-free entry to Jeju Island will be temporarily suspended, and Chinese applicants for visas will be required to submit a "Health Status Confirmation" form indicating whether they have experienced fever, chills, headaches, etc., and whether they have visited anywhere in Hubei Province or Wuhan.

Furthermore, the use of automated immigration gates by all incoming foreigners will be suspended, requiring face-to-face inspections by immigration officers. All visa-free entry programs for Chinese nationals and foreigners entering from China will also be temporarily suspended. These measures will take effect from the 4th.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.