Last Year, South Korea's Entry and Exit Decreased by 233,000 - 'Record Largest' Drop... Impact of Visa Waiver Agreement Suspension Saying "Foreigners Don't Come"

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Korean Economy's Vitality ↓

Foreign Arrivals Halved to 200,000s
Net Outflow of Foreigners in 10 Years...128,000

Labor Movement in Export-Oriented Korean Economy 'Plummets'

On April 8th last year, Terminal 2 of Incheon International Airport appeared quiet. On this day, former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun announced at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (CDSCH) meeting on COVID-19 response that "we will temporarily suspend visa exemptions and visa-free entry for countries banning our citizens' entry, and expand restrictions on foreign entry for non-essential purposes." / Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] Due to the temporary suspension of visa exemption agreements by countries worldwide to prevent the influx of COVID-19 confirmed cases, the number of international movers last year decreased to the largest scale ever recorded. Statistics have proven that it was not easy for foreign workers and international students to enter Korea, where the economy is structured mainly around exports and there are labor shortages in industrial and agricultural sectors.

According to the "2020 International Population Movement Statistics Results" announced by Statistics Korea on the 15th, the total number of international movers with a stay period exceeding 90 days (entrants + departures) last year was 1,234,000, a decrease of 233,000 (-15.9%) compared to the previous year. This was the largest decline since the statistics began in 2000. Entrants numbered 673,000, down 76,000 (-10.1%) from the previous year, and departures were 560,000, down 157,000 (-21.9%). The decline in departures was the largest ever, and the decline in entrants was the second largest since 2009 (-10.2%).

The net outflow of foreigners was 128,000, the largest ever. It also marked the first net outflow in 10 years since 2010. The net outflow numbers were highest from China (-74,000), Thailand (-13,000), and Uzbekistan (-6,000). In particular, the net outflow from China decreased by 32,000 compared to the previous year, and Thailand shifted to a net outflow trend for the first time since 2016.

The number of foreign entrants was 233,000, a decrease of 205,000 (46.8%) compared to the previous year. By nationality, entrants were from China (96,000), Vietnam (28,000), and the United States (21,000) in that order. Entrants from the top three countries accounted for 62.4% of all foreign entrants. Departures also decreased by 64,000 (15%) to 362,000.

The significant decrease in foreigners traveling to and from Korea is largely attributed to countries suspending visa exemption agreements due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Kim Sooyoung, head of the Population Trends Division at Statistics Korea, explained, "Since our government implemented temporary visa exemption suspension measures from April last year for 90 countries that restricted the entry of our nationals, the net inflow of foreigners decreased by nearly 47%, and departures decreased due to policies extending the stay period for workers, etc. The net outflow of foreigners was 128,000, the largest ever."

Conversely, the number of domestic entrants increased by 129,000 (41.5%) compared to the previous year, reaching 440,000. This marked a shift to net inflow for the first time in 11 years since 2009. Departures were 199,000, down 93,000 (31.9%), showing a decline for 14 consecutive years since 2007. Accordingly, the total domestic international movement last year was 639,000, slightly higher than the 603,000 in 2019, which was the lowest in 16 years.

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