"No Additional Restrictions for Korea Unlike the US"

Diplomatic Official: "Close Consultations Between Both Countries Continue"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] It is known that the United States has no plans to strengthen measures against South Korea to prevent the re-importation of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). On the contrary, the U.S. government highly evaluates South Korea's quarantine measures and is requesting close cooperation for COVID-19 response.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and related agencies and ruling party officials on the 9th, consultations between South Korea and the United States regarding COVID-19 are continuously ongoing, and the U.S. side reportedly stated, "There are no plans to take additional measures against South Korea at the government level." It is also known that they added that they are not considering expanding travel ban areas or restricting entry.

This intention of the U.S. is interpreted as a result of the South Korean government consistently and actively informing about domestic quarantine status and testing capabilities. A senior official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained, "The U.S. side is positively evaluating measures such as pre-boarding fever checks, which are being fully implemented on flights to the Americas," and added, "In particular, South Korea's proactive and transparent quarantine measures have gained trust in the U.S. and other countries."

At the end of last month, the U.S. maintained the travel advisory for South Korea at Level 3, 'Reconsider Travel,' while upgrading Daegu to Level 4, which corresponds to a travel ban, but has not taken additional measures since then. On the 3rd (local time), President Donald Trump stated that he was closely monitoring Italy, Japan, and South Korea, which temporarily raised tensions, but on the following day, Vice President Mike Pence said at a regular briefing that "health authorities are not recommending additional measures," which eased concerns about further actions.

Rather, the U.S. is requesting close cooperation from South Korea regarding COVID-19 response. A government official said, "The U.S. side highly evaluates South Korea's quarantine capabilities and transparency," and added that they are showing interest in the COVID-19 testing system. This is interpreted as a result of South Korea transparently disclosing COVID-19 statistics and actively informing the U.S. side that the drive-through testing system has been introduced at 50 locations nationwide, with testing capacity reaching 18,000 tests per day.

A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official emphasized, "Although it is consistently mentioned in foreign media, South Korea's testing capacity, numbers, and accuracy are highly evaluated," and added, "It has been confirmed that these factors are working positively even in difficult situations."

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha is checking a fever screening camera while on her way to meet the rapid response team formed to support Korean nationals quarantined in Vietnam due to COVID-19 prevention measures at Terminal 1 departure hall of Incheon International Airport on the 5th. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

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