Entry Ban on Arrivals from Korea in 19 Countries... Government Operates Emergency Aviation Task Force

Korean tourists who arrived on the first charter flight arranged by the Israeli government gathered at Terminal 1 arrival hall of Incheon International Airport on the 25th. / Yeongjongdo - Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Chunhee Lee] In the wake of the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), the number of countries banning entry of passengers on flights from Korea has increased to 19, prompting the government to take active measures through an emergency aviation task force (TF).

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 27th that starting from the 27th, it will operate an emergency aviation task force led by Kim Itak, Director of Aviation Policy, consisting of five teams: Policy, International, Operations, Security, and Airport. Each team leader is a manager-level official from the relevant department.

As of the 27th, 19 countries including Israel have imposed a complete entry ban on travelers arriving from Korea due to the spread of COVID-19. Additionally, 13 countries including Taiwan have strengthened entry procedures, and 14 countries such as the United States and Australia have raised travel alerts. Japan has also decided to ban entry from the 27th for those who have visited Daegu and Cheongdo County in Gyeongbuk within the past 14 days.

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the total international passenger traffic for the first to third weeks of this month decreased by 43.7% compared to the same period last year due to the spread of COVID-19. In particular, besides China, which saw a 77% decrease, significant declines were also observed in Japan (51.5%) and Southeast Asia (33.8%).

Kim Itak, Director of Aviation Policy at the Ministry, stated, "With the spread of COVID-19, the decline in air passengers is increasing not only in the Greater China region such as China and Japan but recently extending to the Americas, Middle East, and Europe. Through the operation of the emergency aviation task force, we will proactively respond to international trends and make all-out efforts to minimize the inconvenience to our citizens and the negative impact on the aviation industry."