President Yoon Suk Yeol has ordered the foreign ministry to keep Beijing well informed of Seoul’s science-based and public health-oriented decision to strengthen entry restrictions for those arriving from China.
According to foreign minister Park Jin on Wednesday, Yoon gave this instruction during the ministry’s annual policy report earlier in the day, saying the strengthened regulations were aimed at protecting the South Korean people and are scientifically grounded.
His call came after the Chinese government singled out South Korea and Japan among a host of countries recently implementing strengthened entry measures against incoming Chinese visitors and suspended short-term visa issuance in the two countries.
Minister Park said that he had also reported to the president that the South Korean measures were taken to prioritize the lives and safety of South Koreans and are based on scientific and objective grounds.
Emphasizing the flexibility of Seoul’s measures including continuing visa issuance on Chinese citizens for diplomatic, public, emergent business affairs and humanitarian reasons, the minister expressed regret over China’s outright suspension of short-term visa issuance. He said it would be desirable for Chinese quarantine measures to have scientific and objective grounds.
Source: KBS World Radio