China retaliates against South Korea. Since Seoul introduced restrictions on Chinese travelers – following Beijing’s lifting of its zero Covid policy – the Chinese Embassy in Seoul on Tuesday (January 10th) suspended the issuance of short-stay visas for the South Koreans.
“Embassies and consulates in Korea will suspend the issuance of short-stay visas for Korean citizens”the embassy said on its official WeChat account, adding that these measures “will be adjusted based on Seoul’s removal of discriminatory entry restrictions against China”.
Beijing does not currently issue tourist visas and requires a negative Covid test for all arrivals regardless of their origin. In December, Seoul had imposed a series of health restrictions for travelers from mainland China, including on visas and flights, and the obligation to present drug tests, citing an upsurge in Covid-19 cases. in China.
“Political maneuvers” and “discriminatory practices”
South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin told his Chinese counterpart, Qin Gang, on Monday (January 9th) that these restrictions were imposed on a “scientific basis”. In a separate statement, the ministry said Seoul had “previously traded with China” about these measures, and that the information had been “transparently shared with the international community”.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for its part, judged « regrettable » what “a few countries still insist on discriminatory entry restrictions against China”. Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the country is “strongly opposed” to these restrictions and “has taken reciprocal measures”. He, however, did not specifically comment on the decision to suspend issuance of visas to South Koreans.
“We again call on the countries concerned to take scientific and appropriate measures based on facts. These measures must not be used for political maneuvers and there must be no discriminatory practices.urged the Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs.
The Chinese represent only 7.5% of foreign tourists in South Korea
China has gradually ended its very restrictive zero Covid health policy since early December and since January 8 lifted quarantine measures for international travelers. This relaxation, which was accompanied by a strong wave of Covid-19 contaminations in China, aroused the concern of the international community. Many countries then implemented a test requirement for travelers from China.
Seoul has reduced the number of flights from the country, which are now confined to Incheon International Airport, located about fifty kilometers west of Seoul.
Travelers from China, Hong Kong and Macao must now test negative for Covid-19 before they can board a flight to South Korea. Chinese visitors are also tested upon arrival, and must quarantine for a week if they test positive, authorities said. Only government officials, diplomats and certain crucial humanitarian and business trips are eligible for a short-stay visa in South Korea, until the end of January.
According to official figures, 2,224 Chinese nationals with short-stay visas have landed in South Korea since Jan. 2, and 17.5 percent of them tested positive upon arrival. One of the Chinese nationals who had SARS-CoV-2 upon arrival in Seoul refused to submit to quarantine and fled, sparking a two-day manhunt that made headlines. South Korean newspapers. The individual, whose identity has not been released but who was described as a tourist who came for medical reasons, was eventually found and will be questioned this week, local media reported.
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The number of Chinese tourists in South Korea fell from 6.02 million in 2019 to 200,000 from January to November 2022, representing only 7.5% of foreign tourists, the ministry told Agence France-Presse. of South Korean culture. In 2019 and 2020, tourists from China accounted for the largest proportion of foreign tourists visiting South Korea, at 34.4 percent and 27.2 percent respectively, according to official data from Seoul.