Korean Assaulted in Australia Related to COVID-19... Ministry of Foreign Affairs Expresses Regret to Australian Ambassador in Korea and Requests Prevention of Recurrence
The Meeting of Deputy Foreign Ministers from 7 Countries Held That Day Also Mentioned "Racial Discrimination Issues"
Regarding China's Ban on Foreigners' Entry, "Reviewing Protest Methods Within Today"
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed regret via phone to the Australian Ambassador to Korea regarding the racially motivated hate crimes related to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) that occurred in Australia, and strongly requested measures to prevent recurrence.
On the 27th, a senior official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told reporters, “Minister Kang Kyung-wha had previously expressed concern about racial hatred and alerted all diplomatic missions worldwide,” adding, “Today, Director Kim Jeong-han of the Asia-Pacific Bureau also expressed regret over the phone to the Australian Ambassador to Korea and requested prevention of recurrence.”
During a seven-nation deputy foreign ministers’ conference call held that morning, the issue of racial discrimination was also raised. The senior official stated, “In the weekly diplomatic deputy ministers’ conference call, which Australia also attended, our side raised concerns to prevent incidents of racial hatred.”
Regarding China’s decision to effectively block the entry of foreigners starting from the 28th, the Ministry expressed regret. The senior official said, “We were suddenly notified yesterday, and we regret not receiving prior notice,” adding, “We are urgently assessing any potential harm to our citizens due to the Chinese government’s measures, and after understanding the situation, we will strive to minimize any damage to our nationals.”
The method of protesting to the Chinese side will be finalized today. The senior official emphasized, “Since the measures were not specifically targeted at Korea, we will consider the situation accordingly,” and added, “Our measures regarding Hubei Province and other areas in China remain in effect.”
Regarding Japan’s decision to extend its entry restrictions by one month, the official said that Korea is also taking corresponding measures, stating, “We will monitor how the situation develops in Japan and take necessary actions, but basically, as the number of confirmed cases in Japan is increasing, we expect to maintain the current level of measures.”
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Meanwhile, in Bolivia, Korean nationals are returning home via a temporary flight arranged by the U.S. government. A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said, “Forty-nine of our nationals are on board, scheduled to depart on the 28th,” adding, “The U.S. is also evacuating people from various countries, and we plan to continue utilizing allied countries’ charter flights to evacuate our citizens.”
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