Kim Tae-ho: "China's Visa Suspension Is Unfair Retaliation... Must Demand Withdrawal"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Kim Tae-ho, a member of the People Power Party and chairman of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, raised his voice on the 12th, calling China's visa suspension measure an "unjust retaliation" and demanding that the government request its withdrawal.

On the same day, Kim posted on his social media (SNS), "Our strengthened quarantine measures against entrants from China were an inevitable action based on scientific evidence," and criticized, "Nevertheless, China's sudden retaliatory measure to suspend the issuance of short-term visas and exemption from transit visas is absolutely unacceptable."

On the 11th, visitors at the China Visa Issuance Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, inquired about visa issuance as China completely suspended the issuance of short-term visas to South Korean nationals in retaliation against South Korea's strengthened quarantine measures for arrivals from China. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

In response to South Korea's strengthened quarantine measures against entrants from China, China suspended the issuance of short-term visas to South Korea and subsequently halted the visa exemption for those transiting through China.

Kim said, "South Korea is not the only country to impose strengthened quarantine measures on entrants from China," and pointed out, "When the THAAD deployment occurred, China ignored 'security sovereignty' and carried out retaliation; now, it is ignoring 'quarantine sovereignty' and retaliating once again."

He added, "The government should lodge a stern protest and strongly demand the withdrawal of the visa issuance suspension," and stated, "The 'Three No's of THAAD' during the previous administration seriously damaged the normal development of Korea-China relations, and the Yoon Seok-yeol administration must restore the distorted Korea-China relations to normal." The 'Three No's of THAAD' refers to the previous administration's stance of halting additional deployment of THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense), not participating in the U.S. missile defense system, and not forming a Korea-U.S.-Japan military alliance.