Won Hee-ryong: "Forced quarantine of Koreans in China is a humiliating measure... Chinese entering Jeju may be quarantined separately"

Koreans Still Subject to Mandatory Quarantine When Entering China
Governor Won: "Must Follow Reciprocity in Korea-China Relations"

Won Hee-ryong, Governor of Jeju Province / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Won Heeryong, Governor of Jeju Province, urged the government to negotiate related matters, stating that "Korean nationals visiting China for special purposes should be eligible for quarantine exemption measures." Currently, the Korean government is implementing quarantine exemption measures for Chinese nationals who visit for special purposes and those vaccinated with Chinese vaccines, but he argues that China should take the same measures based on the principle of reciprocity.

On the 13th, during the daily COVID-19 response meeting, Governor Won stated, "To protect Jeju, a tourist destination for both Koreans and people worldwide, from infectious diseases, we must confidently engage in diplomacy based on expertise and science," adding, "If the government does not take action, Jeju Province will exercise the authority granted to local government heads under the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act to conduct separate testing and quarantine measures for Chinese nationals entering Jeju."

Currently, since the 1st of this month, the Korean government has been implementing quarantine exemption measures for Chinese nationals visiting the country for special purposes or those vaccinated. The vaccines eligible for self-quarantine exemption are COVID-19 vaccines that have received emergency approval from the World Health Organization (WHO), including Pfizer, Janssen, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Sinopharm, and Sinovac.

In this regard, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum explained at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting on the 13th of last month, "We expect that the difficulties faced by overseas Koreans, international students, and businesspeople who have been unable to visit their homeland for a long time will be somewhat alleviated."

However, the Chinese government enforces approximately three weeks of quarantine for those entering China, even if they have been vaccinated in Korea.

Regarding this, Governor Won criticized, "As seen in previous media reports, those vaccinated with Chinese vaccines, which have significantly lower preventive effects, roam freely in South Korea without quarantine, leaving our citizens exposed to danger," calling it "a humiliating measure where Koreans are quarantined while Chinese nationals gain freedom, and an absurd decision that abandons quarantine sovereignty."

He further emphasized, "Korea-China relations must be based on mutual respect," and warned, "If the Chinese government does not accept this, our government should also suspend quarantine exemption measures for Chinese nationals entering for special purposes."

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