Ministry of Justice to Legally Ban Departure of Infectious Disease Patients, Contacts, and Electronic Ankle Bracelet Wearers

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The Ministry of Justice has decided to codify regulations that allow the prohibition of departure for patients infected with infectious diseases, their contacts, and electronic anklet wearers.

On the 18th, the Ministry of Justice announced a legislative notice for the amendment of the Enforcement Rules of the Immigration Control Act, adding 'persons recognized as likely to cause significant harm to public health' and 'persons wearing location-tracking electronic devices under the Act on the Attachment of Electronic Devices' to the list of those prohibited from departure.

Under the current Immigration Control Act, individuals under investigation or trial, or those who have defaulted on taxes above a certain amount, as well as those who may threaten public safety or economic order, can be prohibited from departure by Ministry of Justice decree. However, neither the Enforcement Decree nor the Enforcement Rules specifically regulate contacts of infectious disease patients or electronic anklet wearers.

Therefore, the Ministry of Justice has so far prohibited departure by applying relevant Enforcement Rules provisions when infectious disease patients attempted to leave the country, considering it a risk of significantly harming national security or diplomatic relations.

Even after the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), at the request of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, not only confirmed patients but also those quarantined due to contact with patients have been subject to departure bans.

Electronic anklet wearers are required to obtain permission from the relevant probation office before departure.

A Ministry of Justice official stated, "There is a need to prevent cases of infectious disease patients leaving the country without authorization, so we decided to clearly revise the regulations."

Meanwhile, the amendment adds 'occupation/income' and 'school enrollment of foreign children' to the registration details of foreigners residing long-term in Korea.

Regarding this, the Ministry of Justice explained, "These are necessary to understand the economic effects of foreign inflow and the status of foreign children of preschool age."

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