Cheong, Controversy Over Misinterpretation in Briefing on Chinese Entry and Exit Statistics

Incorrect citation of immigration-related data corrected... "Error in the number of Koreans entering China during written briefing"

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] The Blue House corrected itself after citing inaccurate figures while mentioning the inappropriateness of a total ban on Chinese entries in relation to the 'Novel Coronavirus Infection (COVID-19)' issue.

Kang Min-seok, the Blue House spokesperson, stated in a written briefing on the 27th, "The number of Koreans entering China has actually increased since February. (3,337 on February 25, 3,697 on February 26)," and claimed, "The number of our citizens heading to China is nearly twice as many as the Chinese entering our country."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

However, the data released by the Blue House differs from the Ministry of Justice's announcement. According to the Ministry of Justice, the figures of 3,337 on February 25 and 3,697 on February 26 represent the number of Chinese nationals departing from Korea to China. This means the Blue House cited incorrect figures in its announcement.

On the 28th, Spokesperson Kang said, "There was an error in the number of Koreans entering China in the spokesperson's written briefing on the 27th."

Kang corrected the briefing content from "The number of our citizens heading to China is nearly twice as many as the Chinese entering our country" to "The number of our citizens departing is increasing, while the number of Chinese entering from China is decreasing." He added that 1,093 Chinese entered on the 27th, and 1,406 of our citizens departed.