Chinese National Caught Escaping Temporary Living Facility Using Forged 'Quarantine Exemption' Documents

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] A Chinese national subject to self-quarantine for the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) was caught by the police after submitting forged quarantine exemption documents to the authorities and leaving a temporary living facility.

According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety on the 14th, a 39-year-old Chinese national A entered the country on the morning of the 10th and was admitted to a temporary living facility for foreigners in Chungju around 4 a.m. the next day. It is known that A submitted forged self-quarantine exemption documents to the quarantine office during the immigration process.

On the 1st, when the mandatory 2-week self-quarantine for all incoming travelers from abroad began, arrivals at Terminal 1 of Incheon International Airport lined up to board the special airport bus for overseas arrivals heading to KTX Gwangmyeong Station. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

Since the 1st, under the government's strengthened management measures for overseas entrants, short-term foreign visitors, except those exempted from quarantine, are required to quarantine for 14 days at temporary living facilities. However, if they submit quarantine exemption documents and test negative in diagnostic tests, they are excluded from the 2-week quarantine requirement.

A tested negative in a diagnostic test on the 12th and was discharged from the Chungju temporary living facility, after which he stayed at a hotel in Seoul.

The hotel staff found it suspicious that A, a Chinese national who had not yet completed 2 weeks since entry, was staying there and reported it to the authorities. The authorities confirmed through the Chinese Embassy that the documents A submitted upon entry were forged.

The police apprehended A at a hotel in Seoul around 6 p.m. on the 13th. A was transferred back to the Chungju temporary living facility and placed under quarantine again.

An official from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety stated, “Since there are criminal charges such as violation of the Act on Prevention and Management and document forgery, related agencies are investigating A.”

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