Ministry of Foreign Affairs: "Exceptional Entry Permission for Businesspeople Shows Results in 7-8 Countries"

Travel Alert Level 2 'Travel Caution' Raised for Europe Region... Follow-up Measures Following 'Special Entry Procedures' Application

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is raising the travel alert for the European region to Level 2, advising travelers to refrain from non-essential travel. This is a follow-up measure after the Korean government began applying 'special entry procedures' to the European region starting from midnight on the 16th, in response to the rapid increase in confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

On the 16th, a senior official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told reporters, "In addition to Europe, when special entry procedures are implemented, it is necessary to issue corresponding travel alerts," adding, "We expect the travel alert for the European region to skip Level 1 and be raised directly to Level 2, advising travelers to refrain from travel."

The ministry is also considering raising travel alerts for regions outside Europe. The senior official explained, "If expanded to regions outside Europe, the alert will be applied starting from Level 1," and added, "Considering that this is a stage recommending caution due to global spread, we will adjust accordingly."

Regarding concerns about shortages of personnel and supplies as the number of countries applying special entry procedures increases, the official said, "Since the number of incoming travelers from abroad has significantly decreased, there is relatively more capacity compared to the initial implementation of special entry procedures," and added, "Even if expanded to the entire European region, we believe there will be sufficient capacity."

As a result of negotiations to support business activities through exceptional entry permissions, progress has been made with 7 to 8 countries. Previously, Vietnam allowed 186 Samsung Display engineers to enter without separate quarantine, granting an exceptional entry permission.

The senior official stated, "There have been cases where 7 to 8 countries accepted our requests on specific matters," and added, "We are striving to minimize restrictions on businesspeople's activities."

Regarding easing entry restrictions due to a decrease in domestic confirmed cases, the official judged that it is still too early to see such a trend. He explained, "There was one case over the weekend, but it can be seen as an exception," and added, "It is premature to say that such cases are becoming widespread, and even if the number of confirmed cases decreases in Korea, other governments are unlikely to have the flexibility to ease restrictions only for us."

Meanwhile, the official emphasized that positive evaluations of Korea's quarantine measures continue. He said, "In the case of the United States, we have confirmed opinions that they are reviewing application according to their circumstances," and added, "The Korean Embassy in the U.S. is receiving specific inquiries about the operation of drive-through testing, among other things."

On the 13th, as the spread of COVID-19 continues in the United States and Europe, Koo Bon-hwan (second from the left), President of Incheon International Airport Corporation, is explaining the fever screening equipment to the diplomatic corps visiting the Terminal 1 departure counter. / Yeongjongdo Island Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

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