'Support for the Return of 27,253 Overseas Koreans from 98 Countries' Selected as an Excellent Case of Active Administration by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Selected 3 Cases Including Businesspeople's Exceptional Entry to Vietnam and Resolving Passport Issuance Issues for Those with Unfulfilled Military Service
Focusing Diplomatic Efforts on Protecting Overseas Koreans and Supporting Business Activities

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Exceptions for businesspeople entering the country, support for overseas Koreans returning home, and alleviation of passport issuance inconveniences for young men who have not completed military service were selected as exemplary cases of proactive administration by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) in the first half of the year. MOFA plans to provide incentives such as awards to the three main contributors of these three selected cases.

On the 12th, MOFA announced that it had selected a total of three cases, including two specific cases related to COVID-19 response, in a proactive administration contest focused on protecting overseas Koreans and supporting Korean business activities during the response to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). These exemplary cases were selected through the MOFA Youth Advisory Group, public online voting (National Thinking Platform), and the MOFA Proactive Administration Support Committee.

MOFA assisted the return of 27,253 overseas Koreans stranded in 98 countries as of the 11th due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ministry has been providing comprehensive support by closely cooperating with the respective countries and deploying charter flights.

In Iran, where all flights were suspended, there was a severe shortage of hygiene supplies such as masks and hand sanitizers, as well as medical facilities and medicines, making return support urgently needed. In response, MOFA’s Overseas Safety Management Planning Office took proactive measures by directly leading the entire process?from deploying temporary flights for return support to operating temporary living arrangements domestically after return and ensuring safe homecoming.

Overseas Koreans and expatriates from the Milan area in Italy are returning to Korea on the 1st via a charter flight, arriving through Terminal 2 of Incheon International Airport. Immediately after arrival, they all move to a designated facility to undergo COVID-19 testing. If everyone tests negative, they proceed to self-quarantine, but if even one person tests positive, all will be placed in facility quarantine for 14 days. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

Furthermore, as more countries closed their borders to prevent the influx of COVID-19, disrupting economic exchanges, MOFA supported exceptions for businesspeople entering the country and encouraged early normalization of factories that had ceased operations.

A representative case was the start of exception-based entry for personnel from domestic small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and mid-sized companies to Vietnam, a country with a high proportion of economic exchange. Since the business trip groups were small, negotiations with the Vietnamese side for exceptional entry permission were more difficult. In response, MOFA and the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Vietnam gathered business travelers from multiple companies, devised plans related to charter flights, quarantine, and isolation, and negotiated with the Vietnamese government. As a result, a business trip group of 340 people from 143 companies was able to enter Vietnam on the 29th of last month and conduct business activities.

On the morning of the 29th of last month, 340 essential personnel from 143 companies were waiting to check in at Terminal 2 of Incheon International Airport. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Following the COVID-19 response cases, measures to resolve passport issuance inconveniences for young men who have not completed military service were also selected as exemplary cases.

Considering that young men who have not completed military service are issued passports with limited validity periods (up to 5 years for those under 24 years old, and 1 year for those 25 and older), causing inconvenience and unfair discrimination, MOFA prepared improvement plans. The Passport Division of MOFA decided to remove discriminatory elements of the current system and grant a 5-year validity period, the same as minors, to all young men aged 18 to 37 who have not completed military service, and plans to implement this through amendments to the Passport Act this year.

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