"South Korea's 'Vaccine Pass' Discriminates Against Foreigners"… British Ambassador to Korea Criticizes Quarantine Policy

KDCA "Plans to Expand Issuance of Vaccination Certificates for Foreigners"

Simon Smith, British Ambassador to Korea. / Photo by British Embassy Seoul

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Yeeun] A concern about discrimination between Koreans and foreigners regarding the application of the 'vaccine pass' for those vaccinated against COVID-19 overseas has been publicly raised by diplomatic envoys in South Korea.

On the 12th, Simon Smith, the British Ambassador to Korea, stated in a video posted on the embassy's social media (SNS) that "the vaccine pass introduced by the Korean government is not applied to foreigners vaccinated overseas, negatively affecting British nationals working in Korea and British companies."

He pointed out, "Under the current system, foreigners vaccinated overseas cannot register for the vaccine pass," adding, "This differs from Korean nationals, whose vaccine passes are recognized even if vaccinated abroad."

He continued, "Such unfair treatment could negatively impact British nationals and British companies working in Korea," and criticized, "We have raised this issue with the Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs over the past two weeks, but although the Korean government understands the problem, it has yet to provide a solution."

In response, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency explained, "Considering the difficulty in verifying the authenticity of overseas vaccination certificates, vaccination records of foreigners vaccinated overseas who have received quarantine exemption certificates are recognized."

They added, "Taking into account the increase in domestic vaccination rates and the phased recovery of daily life, we plan to continuously expand the issuance of vaccination confirmation certificates for foreigners who have completed overseas vaccinations."

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