[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] The Ministry of Justice reiterated that the number of Chinese nationals entering South Korea has significantly decreased since the implementation of entry restrictions to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).
On the 29th, Cha Gyu-geun, head of the Immigration and Foreign Policy Bureau of the Ministry of Justice, held a briefing at the Government Complex Sejong and stated, "Since the entry ban on foreigners who visited Hubei Province was implemented on February 4, the daily number of (Chinese) entrants has sharply dropped to below 5,000."
Director Cha said, "The highest number of Chinese nationals entering the country this year was 18,743 on January 13, but by the 27th, it had decreased by 94% to 1,093."
He continued, "On the 28th, the number fell below 1,000 for the first time, reaching 870. Among them, 462 are international students, and the remaining 408 are long-term residents whose main place of living is in South Korea," he explained.
The number of Chinese international students entering South Korea also showed a significant decrease compared to the same period last year. Director Cha presented statistics showing that 38,731 Chinese international students entered in February last year, whereas this year the number dropped by 62% to 14,834.
He added, "At the end of February last year, an average of 2,000 Chinese international students entered daily, with peaks reaching over 4,000. This year, the daily average has been maintained in the 700s, dropping to the 500s on the 27th," he explained.
Amid the spreading fear of the novel coronavirus infection known as 'Wuhan pneumonia,' passengers from the Hangzhou flight lined up for fever screening at Incheon International Airport on the 28th. / Yeongjongdo - Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@
Additionally, he explained that 327,110 South Koreans entered from China in January, and so far this month, 35,144 have entered. On the 28th, 503 South Korean nationals entered from China, while 2,017 departed to China, according to Director Cha. This means that the number of South Koreans departing to China the previous day was 2.3 times higher than the number of Chinese entering South Korea.
Since the entry restrictions implemented on the 4th of this month, a total of 95,743 cases of entry have been blocked. The validity of 81,589 visas issued by the Consulate General in Wuhan, which has jurisdiction over Hubei Province, was suspended, and 13,965 holders of passports issued in Hubei Province were blocked at the boarding stage in China. Additionally, 189 individuals subject to entry restrictions who arrived only at domestic airports were also blocked.
Furthermore, as a result of strengthened screening for new visa issuance at all Chinese diplomatic missions, the total number of visas issued decreased by 98%, from 148,311 in January to 2,805 in February, Director Cha explained.
Director Cha stated, "The Ministry has uniformly extended the stay period until April 30 for registered foreigners and overseas Koreans with foreign nationality whose stay period is about to expire," and added, "For international students’ visa extensions, school officials have been instructed to collectively gather applications and submit them as a group."
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