Ministry of Justice Enforces First Deportation of Taiwanese for Refusing Quarantine Facility Admission

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] A Taiwanese national who refused to enter a quarantine facility after arriving in South Korea was forcibly deported. This is the first time a foreigner has been deported for not complying with the South Korean government's measures since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

The Ministry of Justice announced on the 6th that a woman in her 30s from Taiwan, identified as Ms. A, who refused to enter the facility claiming she could not pay the quarantine costs, was deported on a flight to Taiwan at 7:45 PM the previous day.

When Ms. A arrived at Incheon Airport on the 2nd, she initially agreed to facility quarantine and to pay the associated costs. However, upon arriving at the assigned quarantine facility the next day, she expressed that she could not pay the fees and was discharged from the facility.

The Ministry of Justice handed Ms. A over to the Cheongju Immigration Office at around 12:30 AM the previous day and deported her later that same afternoon.

A Ministry of Justice official explained, "We decided to deport her because her refusal, based on the burden of costs, was considered a rejection of the government's quarantine measures aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19."

Since the government mandated a two-week self-quarantine for all inbound travelers, both domestic and foreign, from overseas starting on the 1st, a total of 11 foreigners have refused quarantine measures as of the previous day. The Ministry of Justice denied entry to all of them.

The Ministry of Justice also plans to investigate foreigners who violate self-quarantine measures, such as leaving designated locations, and decide on forced deportation accordingly.

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