Despite Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Request, Over 10 Countries Increased 'Korean Entry Restrictions' Over the Weekend

80 Countries Worldwide, 6 Times Increase Since Official Count
US Maintains Level 3 Outside Daegu... Strengthens Medical Tests Before and After Departure
Some Countries Continue Landing Restrictions

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Despite the South Korean government's request to refrain from excessive entry restrictions on Koreans, the number of countries strengthening entry restrictions on Koreans and foreigners who have traveled through Korea sharply increased over the weekend. Following the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), the trend of tightening quarantine procedures such as entry restrictions, raising travel alerts, and denying passenger plane landings shows little sign of easing. In this regard, on the 29th of last month, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun held a meeting with ministers in Seoul from Daegu and instructed to "devise practical measures" regarding the expansion of entry restrictions on Korea.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 2nd, as of 9:10 a.m. that day, 80 countries worldwide had either banned entry of Koreans and foreigners who have traveled through Korea or significantly strengthened quarantine procedures. The number of countries notifying entry restrictions increased by nearly 10 over the past weekend. Since the Ministry of Foreign Affairs began officially tallying countries and regions with entry restrictions from the 23rd of last month, the number has increased more than sixfold, exceeding 40% of the 193 United Nations (UN) member countries.

The number of countries that have completely banned entry of Koreans and foreigners who have traveled through Korea was counted at 36. This figure includes countries that have implemented measures requiring a certain period to pass after departing from Korea before entry is allowed, in addition to explicit entry bans. The remaining 44 countries have strengthened entry procedures such as enhanced quarantine and isolation measures. The number of regions within China that have strengthened entry procedures also increased to 14.

A senior official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained, "Countries with weak quarantine capabilities or those that find it difficult to control the virus independently when it is introduced have increased preemptive measures out of anxiety," adding, "Except for the United States and Western European countries excluding the United Kingdom, there are almost no entry bans or regulations."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

◆US Strengthens Quarantine for Arrivals from Korea?= Nevertheless, concerns over lockdown measures worldwide are growing. Above all, the most acute interest is in the increasingly stringent actions of the U.S. Department of State. After raising the travel alert to Level 2 on the 22nd of last month, the U.S. Department of State upgraded it to Level 3, "Reconsider Travel," just four days later. Then, on the 29th of last month, it issued a Level 4 "Do Not Travel" advisory for Daegu. While maintaining Level 3 for other regions in Korea, the U.S. Department of State recommended "not to travel to Daegu," considering the level of community transmission and local quarantine procedures.

Additionally, the U.S. announced plans to strengthen medical examinations for passengers boarding flights to the United States, both before departure and upon arrival. On the 1st (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted, "Travelers coming from countries at risk of COVID-19 or regions within those countries will undergo medical examinations before boarding and again upon arrival in the United States." This appears to mark a shift from protecting U.S. citizens departing the country to strengthening entry procedures for foreigners. The situation faces uncertainty, with the possibility of entry restrictions not being ruled out soon.

Regarding pre-departure medical examinations, considerable consultations between South Korea and the U.S. seem to have taken place. A senior official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "We are reviewing ways to more systematically check the health status and fever of passengers on trans-Pacific routes." Since the 28th of last month, Korean Air and Asiana Airlines have been conducting fever checks and health status confirmations for passengers bound for the U.S., but this is interpreted as a move to further strengthen those measures. The U.S. side is reportedly positively evaluating this as the so-called "Korea model."

◆Unilateral Measures Without Prior Consultation Continue, Causing Inconvenience to Koreans= Despite Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs continuously urging host governments to refrain from excessive measures without prior consultation, unexpected actions continue to occur. The Vietnamese government denied landing of Korean flights at major airports without prior consultation. After prohibiting the landing of an Asiana Airlines flight at Hanoi Noi Bai Airport while in operation, control over Korean flights landing at Ho Chi Minh Airport also began. This caused many Koreans preparing to return home to be stranded locally, resulting in numerous inconveniences.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Vietnamese ambassador to Korea the day before and strongly protested, emphasizing the repeated requests through various diplomatic channels for sufficient prior consultation between the two countries. However, it is uncertain whether the situation will improve. Previously, forced quarantine of Koreans including Vietnamese nationals by local Chinese governments, quarantine measures for honeymooners due to entry suspension by the African island nation Mauritius, and the sudden suspension of flights between Turkey and Korea from the previous day, which stranded about 200 Koreans locally, were all carried out without prior consultation.

Meanwhile, on the morning of the same day, Minister Kang held a phone call with Canadian Foreign Minister Fran?ois-Philippe Champagne, explaining in detail the measures the Korean government is taking in response to COVID-19 and requesting cooperation to avoid excessive measures. The Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution) for Korea and Level 3 (Avoid Non-essential Travel) only for the Daegu and Cheongdo regions among its four levels of Travel Advice and Advisories for its citizens.

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