"Korean-American Group Requests Biden to Exempt Vaccinated Koreans from Self-Quarantine"

State Department "Actively Involved in Each Country's Decision to Resume Travel"

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] Korean Americans in the United States have requested the U.S. government to intervene so that they can be exempted from mandatory self-quarantine upon entering Korea after completing COVID-19 vaccination.

The New York Korean Parents Association announced on the 29th (local time) that it sent a letter with this content to President Joe Biden.

In the letter, the association expressed dissatisfaction with the Korean government's decision to exempt only those who completed vaccination domestically from the two-week self-quarantine starting from the 5th of next month when entering from overseas.

It claims that overseas Koreans living in the U.S. and other countries face discrimination when visiting Korea despite having completed vaccination.

The association emphasized, "Koreans residing in the Americas have to waste most of their travel time undergoing a painful and strict two-week self-quarantine when visiting Korea to meet family or for business purposes."

They then requested the White House, "We hope you will assist in lifting the two-week self-quarantine for Koreans residing in the U.S. who have completed vaccination when entering Korea."

The New York Korean Parents Association also reminded that "currently, visitors from Korea to the U.S. do not have to undergo a two-week self-quarantine."

The Association of Korean American Presidents also issued a statement demanding that overseas Koreans be exempted from self-quarantine if they have a certificate of completed vaccination.

Korean expatriates in the U.S. hold similar views. One expatriate said, "Many American buyers are unable to visit Korea due to self-quarantine. Quarantine exemption should be considered for those who have completed vaccination."

The government plans to sequentially apply exemptions starting with countries where agreements or the principle of reciprocity apply, as vaccines approved in Korea differ from those approved in other countries, and discussions are needed on how to recognize them in the future.

The AstraZeneca vaccine, mainly administered in Korea, has not yet received emergency use authorization in the U.S. and is not available for vaccination there. The U.S. is focusing on administering Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson explained to Asia Economy's inquiry about quarantine discussions with Korea, "The State Department is actively involved in decisions by governments to resume travel."

Attention is also focused on whether this issue will be discussed between the two countries at the upcoming Korea-U.S. summit next month. The U.S. government recently significantly strengthened travel warnings for its citizens, recommending travel bans to 150 countries worldwide, but Korea remains at level 2, 'Enhanced Caution.'

Meanwhile, the New York Korean Parents Association also requested President Biden to expand vaccine supply to Korea, stating, "Our brothers and sisters are unable to receive vaccinations due to Korea's vaccine shortage."

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