Ministry of Foreign Affairs: "3-4 Countries Allow Exceptional Entry for Korean Businesspeople"... Embassy Masks Provided to Iranian Residents Facing Supply Shortages

Closely Monitoring the Situation in Italy
"US Side Highly Evaluates Korea's Quarantine Capability"... On-site Visit Schedule for 'Airport Departure System' Planned for Diplomatic Corps in Korea

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is negotiating with more than 20 countries to allow exceptional entry for businesspeople by mobilizing all diplomatic channels. It has been confirmed that some Asian countries are lowering their entry barriers very restrictively. However, no country has officially accepted the Korean government's plan to allow entry for businesspeople carrying 'COVID-19 negative certificates' or similar documents, which is the government's goal.

On the 11th, a senior official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told reporters that three or four countries are exceptionally allowing entry, explaining, "Countries recognizing exceptions require businesspeople entering for projects to carry a negative COVID-19 test certificate and have reported that these countries conduct fever checks, health questionnaires, and require periodic health status reports for 14 days."

The Korean government is negotiating with more than 20 countries, including China, Vietnam, Indonesia, India, and Turkey, to allow exceptional entry for businesspeople carrying COVID-19 negative certificates.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Monitoring has been strengthened for Italy and Iran, where COVID-19 cases are rapidly increasing. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) added Italy and Iran to the 'quarantine management areas' on this day. This is a measure to minimize additional inflow from high-risk countries. Entrants from Italy and Iran are required to submit health questionnaires mandatorily.

The senior official explained, "In Italy, air and rail transportation are operating, and there are no problems with movement, but we are closely monitoring the situation," adding, "However, this designation is not linked to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' travel advisories."

The Korean government plans to repatriate up to 100 overseas nationals from Iran this week. Due to long-standing sanctions, the supply of quarantine materials in Iran is not smooth, and the local embassy is known to have urgently distributed some of the approximately 500 masks it holds to vulnerable groups.

Regarding U.S. Ambassador to Korea Harry Harris visiting Incheon International Airport on the same day to observe Korea's pre-departure quarantine procedures and praising them as a "model for the world," the senior official said, "We have heard through various channels that Korea's quarantine capabilities and transparency are highly evaluated in the U.S.," explaining, "There are remarks that the COVID-19 related data provided by Korea is astonishing, and that Korea's figures are considered the most reliable statistics."

Additionally, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which visited the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week, reportedly conveyed that there are aspects of Korea's response measures that the U.S. can refer to after inspecting the site. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs plans to arrange on-site visits for the diplomatic corps in Korea to observe Korea's 'airport departure system.'

Meanwhile, a total of 1,802 overseas nationals are quarantined in China and Vietnam. There are 1,330 people quarantined in China and 403 in Vietnam, and the number of nationals released from quarantine is 3,132, with 2,826 in China and 144 in Vietnam, respectively.

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

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