Companies Must Submit a Commitment Letter to Obtain Quarantine Exemption Certificate for Business Travelers Entering Korea

An Iraqi dispatched worker who returned to Korea last July is exiting the arrival hall. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] The government, which has been exempting businesspeople entering the country for business purposes from self-quarantine, has revised the procedures to strengthen post-management of these individuals.

On the 24th, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters of the Ministry of Health and Welfare reported the improvement plan for the quarantine exemption system for overseas entrants to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters. To prevent the overseas inflow of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), the government has required all entrants to undergo 14 days of self- or facility-quarantine since April. However, quarantine is selectively exempted for business purposes such as investment contracts or for humanitarian reasons such as family funerals. This is a measure to strengthen management of such exceptions.

When applying for a quarantine exemption certificate for important business purposes, the inviting company must additionally submit quarantine measures, a memorandum of agreement, and an activity plan during the exemption period. When authorities review these, they will newly consider the epidemiological risk along with the importance, urgency, and inevitability of the business. The authorities expect that issuance procedures and criteria will be strengthened.

The quarantine exemption certificate will specify a validity period only for entry within one week from the date of issuance and can be issued only once. The exemption period is limited to the time necessary to achieve the relevant task or purpose; exemption for attending funerals is limited to within 7 days, and for other purposes, entry is limited to a maximum of 14 days. To strengthen post-management of exempted entrants, additional obligations such as compliance with quarantine rules will be imposed on both the exempted individuals and the inviting companies.

Previously, exemption for funerals applied only to the individual, their spouse’s direct ascendants or descendants, or siblings, but going forward, it will also include the spouse of the individual’s or spouse’s direct ascendants (step-parents) and the spouse of direct descendants (daughter-in-law or son-in-law). In addition to funerals, exemption will also apply to the funeral procession and the Samwooje (a traditional Korean memorial service held three days after death).

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