123 Countries with Entry Restrictions from Korea... President Trump Evaluates "Improvement in Korea and China Situation"

47 Countries with Complete Entry Bans
US President Trump Mentions Reassessing Travel Restrictions and Alerts for Korea and China

The arrival hall of Terminal 1 at Incheon International Airport is quiet on the 6th. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The number of countries imposing entry restrictions on travelers from South Korea has increased to 123. As the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global pandemic, anxiety is growing worldwide. The United States will also implement a travel ban on arrivals from Europe for 30 days.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as of 10 a.m. on the 12th, 123 countries have implemented measures such as complete entry bans, partial regional entry bans, or facility quarantine for travelers from South Korea.

There are 47 countries that have imposed entry bans on all regions of South Korea. Despite the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' request to refrain from excessive entry restrictions, the number continues to rise. Malaysia will ban entry of foreigners who have visited South Korea, Iran, or Italy starting from the 13th. Hungary will ban entry of foreigners who have visited South Korea, China, Italy, and other countries starting from midnight on the 12th.

Six countries, including Japan and Indonesia, have imposed entry bans limited to certain regions. Additionally, 18 countries, including China, Macau, and Vietnam, have implemented quarantine measures for entrants from South Korea. Within China, 21 local governments have started quarantine measures for arrivals from South Korea.

Fifty-two countries have implemented relatively lower-level measures such as strengthened quarantine or advisories. These include New Zealand, India, Mexico, Russia, the United Kingdom, Austria, and the Czech Republic. The Czech Republic requires foreigners entering after visiting South Korea, Iran, France, Germany, or Spain to report to their primary care physician or health authorities and recommends self-quarantine for 14 days.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Although the number of countries imposing entry restrictions on South Korea is increasing, U.S. President Donald Trump announced on the 11th (local time) that he would reassess travel restrictions and warnings related to COVID-19 for South Korea and China. President Trump made this announcement during a national address from the White House Oval Office that evening, citing "improvements in the situations in South Korea and China."

The United States currently does not ban entry of foreigners arriving from South Korea. However, the State Department has issued a Level 3 travel advisory recommending avoidance of non-essential travel to South Korea, and a Level 4 travel ban?the highest level?for the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions. The U.S. announced on January 31 a restriction on entry of foreigners who have been in China within the past 14 days and continues to maintain a travel ban for its citizens traveling to China.

Unlike South Korea and China, President Trump announced plans to strengthen entry restrictions on Europe, where COVID-19 is rapidly spreading. He stated, "We will suspend all travel from Europe to the United States for the next 30 days," with the measure taking effect at midnight on the 13th. The United Kingdom is exempt from this measure. President Trump explained, "This is to prevent new cases from entering," adding that "certain Americans who have undergone appropriate testing will be exempt."

Earlier, the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated during a briefing on the 11th (local time) that COVID-19 is a pandemic, explaining, "WHO has been continuously assessing the outbreak and is concerned about the alarming levels of spread and severity, as well as the lack of adequate measures."

The pandemic declaration means that a new disease is spreading worldwide, though there is no specific criterion. However, this evaluation can heighten global anxiety and may cause misunderstandings that individual countries' quarantine measures were inadequate, which is why the WHO has been cautious about using this term. The WHO previously declared pandemics during the 1968 Hong Kong flu and the 2009 novel influenza (H1N1) outbreaks.

Meanwhile, the South Korean government has decided to apply special entry procedures starting at midnight on the 15th for travelers visiting or staying in certain European countries. The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (CDSCH) announced that "from midnight on the 15th, travelers arriving from five countries?France, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands?will be subject to enhanced quarantine procedures."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

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