[Correspondent Column] Conflicts in International Reciprocity in the COVID Era, Our Citizens' Safety Comes First

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] There is a fundamental principle that serves as the standard in international diplomacy: the principle of reciprocity. If the other country is friendly, we respond in kind; if unfriendly, we respond unfriendly as well.

It is common sense and basic diplomacy to expand exchanges with friendly countries and narrow them with those that are not.

In the era of COVID-19, reciprocity has gained even more attention. When borders are closed and travel restricted for quarantine reasons, if the other side closes their doors, we must close ours as well.

However, this principle is not applied unconditionally. Europe has allowed entry to Americans, but the United States still does not accept travelers coming from Europe. Although the Biden administration has actively pushed to improve U.S.-Europe relations across the Atlantic, proclaiming "America is back," the travel sector remains a completely different situation.

The issue of European travelers’ entry was also a topic at the summit. After last week’s summit with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, President Biden said at a joint press conference in response to a question about allowing European travelers, "There will be news within a few days," but made no further comments.

The Biden administration’s stance became clear with the travel ban advisory against the UK issued on the 19th, the day the UK lifted its COVID-19 restrictions. This means that strong regulations will still be imposed on countries with tens of thousands of new daily cases amid the spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant.

On the same day, despite Canada’s announcement that it would allow fully vaccinated citizens to enter without quarantine starting next month, the U.S. did not take reciprocal measures. The White House only gave a general response that "health experts are discussing it."

Examples of the breakdown of the reciprocity principle related to COVID-19 can also be found in our country. Our government decided to exempt fully vaccinated arrivals from quarantine immediately after the World Health Organization (WHO) approved Chinese vaccines. The timing of this decision inevitably raises eyebrows. We are the first in the world to allow quarantine exemption for arrivals vaccinated with Chinese vaccines.

There is a clear reason for the flood of complaints about whether efforts were made to apply reciprocity while China still maintains quarantine for Korean arrivals.

Koreans living in the U.S. without immediate family members are subject to quarantine upon entry despite having received vaccines approved for emergency use by the Korean government. It is natural that there are criticisms of discrimination compared to those vaccinated with Chinese vaccines whose efficacy is unclear. Recently, consulate staff in the Americas have had to work overnight issuing quarantine exemption documents while also having to soothe the frustrations of compatriots unable to visit their homeland.

In this context, Canada’s decision stands in even sharper contrast with ours. On the 19th, Canada declared border reopening but decisively excluded those vaccinated with Chinese vaccines, citing that these vaccines are not approved domestically.

There is another example where international efforts to provide administrative convenience based on reciprocity were ignored, increasing the burden on citizens. This concerns the exchange of driver’s licenses between New Jersey, USA, where many Korean companies have expanded, and Korea. Our Road Traffic Act stipulates that foreign licenses exchanged for Korean licenses must be retained.

New Jersey points out that since they do not retain Korean licenses, this violates the principle of reciprocity and has not reached a final agreement. As a result, many export workers still waste precious time at driver’s license testing centers instead of on the job (U.S. driver’s license testing centers are notoriously a test of human patience). The cost of a country ignoring the principle of reciprocity ultimately falls on its citizens.