Unexpected 'Locks' on Koreans Worldwide... Concerns Over Schedule Disruptions for Domestic Companies

Israel and Mauritius Successively Ban Entry of Koreans and Others...
Minister Kang Kyung-wha "Deeply Concerned About Discriminatory Control Measures and Arbitrary Repatriation"

Korean tourists who arrived on the first charter flight arranged by the Israeli government gathered at Terminal 1 arrival hall of Incheon International Airport on the 25th. / Yeongjongdo - Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] As confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) surge in Korea, countries are increasingly strengthening entry procedures targeting Koreans. Moves to preemptively ban the entry of Koreans without prior consultation are also becoming more active. While the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is strongly protesting to countries that have unilaterally tightened entry procedures and requesting restraint from excessive responses, concerns are growing as domestic companies’ schedules, including overseas business trips, are likely to be disrupted.

Amid repeated entry controls without prior consultation, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha strongly expressed concerns about discriminatory controls. Attending the '43rd United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council' held in Geneva, Switzerland on the 24th (local time), Foreign Minister Kang said, "We are deeply concerned about recent reports of hate and discriminatory incidents against people from countries with COVID-19 outbreaks, discriminatory immigration control measures, and arbitrary repatriations." She emphasized, "It is important for governments to base their actions on scientific evidence rather than measures that cause public panic, to take steps to prevent such incidents, and to join global efforts to end them."

◆Official Entry Ban Measures Increase to Seven Countries= According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 25th, the number of countries banning entry of Koreans and foreigners who have transited through Korea has increased to seven: Samoa, Kiribati, Hong Kong, American Samoa, Bahrain, Jordan, and Israel. Hong Kong banned entry of foreigners who departed from Korea or have visited Korea within the last 14 days starting from 6 a.m. local time that day.

The Israeli government, which deployed two charter flights to repatriate Korean travelers stranded in Israel, officially announced from the 24th that it would ban entry of foreigners with a history of visiting Korea. The Israeli government had abruptly banned entry of 177 Koreans on the 22nd without prior consultation with the Korean government.

On the morning of the same day, Korean nationals repatriated on an Israeli Airlines charter flight at Terminal 1 of Incheon International Airport began to appear one after another. Those who were suddenly quarantined and then repatriated showed clear signs of fatigue. The passengers filled out health status questionnaires distributed by quarantine officers at the National Incheon Airport Quarantine Station. The quarantine staff, who had been waiting for them in advance, guided them to provide their name, address, and contact information on the questionnaire.

Afterward, the passengers passed through quarantine counters and the Chinese quarantine inspection area set up at the airport and began to exit into the arrival hall. A quarantine official explained, "Since the passengers came on a charter flight, there is no prior entry information, so we are collecting health questionnaires for confirmation. Basic quarantine is conducted if there are no symptoms, and symptomatic individuals undergo separate procedures."

A female passenger said, "We went on a pilgrimage with our group, and the local situation was very good with many days left in the schedule, but Israel unilaterally sent us back." She expressed frustration, saying, "It seems the problem was that previous Korean pilgrims had come to Israel while infected with COVID-19." Another pilgrim, Mr. Park (60), said about the local situation, "We had reservations at restaurants and hotels, but we were not allowed entry. Fortunately, it was the last day, so we stayed near the airport for a day and then took the charter flight back."

The African island nation Mauritius also decided to ban entry of Koreans after initially suspending it without prior consultation. As of 2 a.m. that day, Mauritius was not officially listed among countries banning entry of Koreans. The Korean Embassy in Madagascar reported receiving notification from the Mauritius government that it would ban entry of all foreigners who departed from Korea or stayed in Korea within the last 14 days. Accordingly, 34 Korean tourists who arrived in Mauritius on the 23rd and were quarantined immediately after arrival are scheduled to return home.

Additionally, the Vietnamese government quarantined Korean entrants without prior consultation to check their health status. On the 24th, Da Nang city subjected 80 Koreans and Vietnamese who arrived from Daegu to separate entry procedures and then quarantined them in a hospital. Ho Chi Minh City also quarantined three Koreans from Daegu among 575 people who entered from Korea between the 23rd and 34th in a hospital.

An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained, "We strongly protested through diplomatic channels to Vietnam that this quarantine measure was implemented without sufficient prior consultation with us," and added, "We emphasized that excessive or unreasonable measures should not be taken against our nationals."

The number of countries controlling entry of Koreans by suspending air routes is also increasing. Mongolia decided to temporarily suspend the Mongolia-Korea route from the 25th to June 2nd, and New Zealand plans to suspend the Auckland-Seoul route from June 7th to June 30th. Vietnam’s Bamboo Airways will also suspend all flights to and from Korea starting from the 26th.

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun is delivering an opening remark at the Cabinet meeting held at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 25th. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

◆Concerns Over Disruptions to Corporate Schedules Due to Entry Controls= As a result, corporate worries are deepening. Hanwha’s defense affiliates are concerned that export agreements, including the K9 self-propelled howitzer which achieved export success in India, as well as towed anti-aircraft guns, Redback, and the new 6x6 wheeled armored vehicle TIGON tailored to the Indian Air Force project, which are about to be finalized, may be disrupted due to COVID-19.

LIG Nex1 planned overseas business trips to introduce precision guided weapons optimized for local air defense, maritime, and land environments, such as the portable surface-to-air guided missile 'Shingung' mounted on the Biho combined air defense weapon system, but if importing countries ban departures to Korea, export discussions will inevitably be postponed. Internally, LIG Nex1 is also encouraging employees who have returned from overseas trips to work from home.

Participation in overseas defense exhibitions may also become difficult. Next month alone, defense exhibitions are scheduled in seven countries including Vietnam, Malaysia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). However, domestic defense companies are not applying to participate in these exhibitions. Although the UAE is known as a 'major buyer in defense' to the extent that President Moon Jae-in is planning a visit next month, if entry is refused, defense export routes will inevitably be blocked.

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