Government Plans Withdrawal of Korean Residents and Expatriates from Iran Amid 'COVID-19 Spread'

Members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps are conducting COVID-19 disinfection work in downtown Tehran on the 4th of this month (local time).

(Tehran AP=Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] As the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) is spreading in Iran, the government is reportedly pushing for a plan to evacuate Korean residents and expatriates by chartered flight within this week.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 8th, the Korean Embassy in Iran is conducting a "survey on the intention to board a chartered flight to Korea" targeting Korean residents and expatriates living in Iran. There are about 220 Koreans residing in Iran, and excluding those who have returned individually, it is estimated that around 100 people will return using the chartered flight.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is reportedly in related consultations with the Iranian government to enable Koreans in Iran to evacuate within this week. Since Iran is currently under U.S. sanctions, it is difficult to deploy Korean passenger airlines such as Korean Air or Asiana Airlines as chartered flights. Therefore, the option of using chartered flights from third-country airlines is also being considered.

At present, the most likely plan under review is for Koreans in Iran to travel to neighboring countries such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) or Qatar using Iranian or third-country airlines, and then return home on national passenger flights from there.

As COVID-19 spreads in Iran, neighboring countries have temporarily banned flights originating from Iran since late last month. Because of this, Iran is currently operating only limited routes to Moscow, Russia, and Doha, Qatar.

Upon returning from Iran, Korean residents will undergo COVID-19 infection testing at designated facilities. If suspicious symptoms are present, they will be quarantined for 14 days, and even if not, they are required to self-quarantine for 14 days, according to the established policy.

This evacuation from Iran will be the first time the government has evacuated all nationals from a specific country. Previously, in relation to the spread of COVID-19, the government repatriated Koreans living in Wuhan, China, and Korean passengers aboard a Japanese cruise ship by chartered and presidential flights, respectively.

As of the 6th, Iran has reported 4,747 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 124 deaths. It is one of the countries with the highest number of confirmed cases alongside China, Korea, and Italy.

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