Entry Ban from Korea Reduced to 113 Countries... Entry Restrictions Lifted for 17 Countries

France, Poland, Netherlands Lift Entry Restrictions One After Another
Mexico Briefly Listed for Entry Restriction Removal Then Removed... Ministry of Foreign Affairs Issues Inaccurate Information for Several Days

The arrival hall of Terminal 1 at Incheon International Airport is quiet on the 6th. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Cases of lowering the threshold of borders, which had been raised due to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), are continuing. The number of countries imposing entry restrictions, which once exceeded 180, has decreased to 170, and the number of countries lifting entry-related measures is steadily increasing. However, it has been found that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which publishes the status of entry-related measures daily, once included Mexico in the list of countries that lifted entry-related measures but later deleted it, resulting in inaccurate information being publicly disclosed for several days.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 11th, the number of countries banning entry from Korea was counted as 113, down by 7 from the previous week. The number of countries banning entry once approached 150 but has decreased by more than 30. Seven countries are implementing facility quarantine measures, and 50 countries are taking measures such as strengthened quarantine and recommendations.

The number of countries banning entry from Korea is decreasing, and the number of countries taking the lowest level of measures such as strengthened quarantine and recommendations is increasing, indicating that the overall threshold of borders is lowering. In particular, the number of countries lifting entry-related measures is steadily increasing. There are 17 countries that have lifted entry-related measures, with 13 in Europe, 2 in the Americas, 1 in the Middle East, and 1 in Africa.

In July alone, eight countries have lifted entry-related measures. In Europe, the Netherlands, Latvia, and Luxembourg (residence proof required) lifted measures on the 1st, and Poland and France were added to the list on the 3rd. Estonia lifted entry-related measures on the 6th. In the Middle East, Tunisia lowered its entry threshold on the 2nd.

The number of countries easing or lifting entry measures is expected to continue increasing. The European Union (EU) Council has recommended easing entry restrictions for low-risk countries including Korea, and Switzerland plans to allow entry of Koreans starting from the 20th. This decision is expected to gradually expand to other EU member states. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is continuing negotiations with local governments, mainly through overseas diplomatic missions, to ease entry restrictions from Korea.

Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that inaccurate information was once included in the "Status of Measures for Overseas Entrants by Country Related to COVID-19 Spread," which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs compiles and publicly discloses daily. Mexico, classified as a country implementing strengthened quarantine and recommendations, was once included in the list of countries that lifted entry-related measures. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs later identified this and removed Mexico from the list. For several days, inaccurate information was exposed to the public.

On the other hand, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun delivered a message at the "COVID-19 Response Overseas Diplomatic Mission Chiefs Video Conference," chaired by Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, held for two hours from 9 p.m. on the 9th. He praised the efforts of overseas diplomatic mission chiefs and staff for supporting the safe return of about 42,000 overseas Koreans exposed to COVID-19 risks and for the exceptional entry of Korean businesspeople.

Prime Minister Chung said, "While borders worldwide were closed, our businesspeople received the benefits of exceptional entry through the 'Fast Track System,' and I understand that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and overseas missions played a significant role in this." He added, "As 'face-to-face diplomacy' normalizes and the 'diplomatic clock,' which had stopped for a while, begins to move again, I believe that the points and scope that Korean diplomacy must consider have become much broader than before COVID-19."