"We Also Want to Go to Korea" From Latin America to East Timor... Charter Flight Requests Flood In

Ministry of Foreign Affairs: "Citizens Wishing to Return... We Will Strive to Ensure Their Safe Return"

Overseas Koreans residing in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, are returning home through Gimpo Airport on the morning of the 12th of last month, disembarking from a chartered flight.
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suwan] As the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) spreads and countries around the world implement national lockdown measures, requests for charter flights to evacuate stranded overseas residents are also increasing.

On the 30th, multiple petitions were posted on the Blue House's national petition board requesting the deployment of charter flights to bring back Korean nationals residing abroad, including expatriates, international students, and workers in countries such as India, Singapore, Malaysia, and Paraguay.

One petitioner requesting a charter flight to India stated, "My husband, who went on a business trip to Chennai, India in February, is currently stuck in a hotel in India without being able to do anything," adding, "The Indian government has blocked all movement to prevent the spread of the virus."

They continued, "In the Chennai area alone, not only my husband on a business trip but also many Korean expatriates living there are unable to return. About 900 people are unable to go back to Korea," and requested, "I petition for a charter flight to India for the families anxiously waiting for news there." This petition has currently received 1,978 endorsements.

In a petition titled "Please help Korean nationals in Singapore," it was stated, "We are currently stranded in Singapore and unable to return to our homeland," and "Due to recent Singapore government regulations, many facilities such as restaurants and academies have temporarily closed, causing us to lose our jobs and making it difficult to afford Singapore's high rent and living costs."

They further explained, "If our work visas are canceled, we will inevitably become illegal residents, which is very distressing," and "The Korean Embassy in Singapore has informed us that there is no way to temporarily extend our visas."

They added, "All connecting flights to Korea have been canceled, and many nationals here are left stranded without proper refunds from other airlines," they reported.

A petitioner staying in Malaysia said, "Currently, Malaysia is under lockdown, and flights have been suspended, so I am unable to return to Korea and am anxiously waiting."

Photo by Cheong Wa Dae website capture

The petitioner said, "The country (Malaysia) is telling people whose visas are about to expire to just stay home without any special measures," adding, "In this situation, we will have to remain as illegal residents." They continued, "The number of confirmed cases is increasing, and medical facilities are poor, but many want to return to Korea," and earnestly appealed, "Please send a charter flight. I sincerely request this."

A petitioner who said their daughter is working in Paraguay also wrote, "At the time when the business was supposed to be finished and she was to return, the skies were closed due to COVID-19," and "I heard there are about 100 Koreans there, and I earnestly hope a charter flight will be sent so that my daughter and the Koreans can return home and rest comfortably."

Meanwhile, a government charter flight to bring back Koreans staying in Milan, Italy, where the COVID-19 situation is severe, departed for the local area on the 30th.

Song Sewon, head of the government's rapid response team (passport division chief at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs), told reporters before departure, "The number of our nationals scheduled to board in Milan is confirmed to be about 310, but this may change depending on the situation," and added, "We will do our best to ensure that the nationals wishing to return can come back safely and securely."

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