[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] It has been reported that about 80,000 people attempted to enter Korea with visas issued in Hubei Province, China, after the 4th of this month. The Ministry of Justice has restricted their entry. Additionally, the number of people who entered Jeju Island by the 10th of this month was about 8,600, showing a 73% decrease compared to the same period last year.
According to the "Interim Results of COVID-19 Response Measures" announced by the Ministry of Justice on the 14th, the number of entrants through Jeju Island during the first 10 days of this month was 8,669, a 73.6% decrease compared to 32,896 during the same period last year. Jeju Island had abruptly suspended the "visa-free entry system," which allowed foreign tourists to enter without a visa and stay for 30 days, on the 4th of this month.
The Ministry of Justice also suspended the validity of visas issued by the consulate with jurisdiction over Hubei Province (Consulate General in Wuhan), restricting the entry of 81,589 people holding these visas over the 10-day period. Among the suspended visas, 77,080 cases (94.4%) were short-term visit visas presumed to be for tourists. In addition, through the pre-boarding passenger verification system and airline ticketing stage checks, entry was restricted for a total of 9,520 people locally before boarding.
The Ministry of Justice is strengthening the screening process for new visa issuance at all consulates in China and has made it mandatory for Chinese nationals to submit a "Health Status Certificate" to check for infection symptoms and whether they have visited Hubei Province.
A Ministry of Justice official stated, "We are maintaining a cooperative system with the Central Accident Response Headquarters established by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, sharing related situations and information," and added, "We will do our best to cooperate in blocking the domestic inflow of COVID-19."
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