South Korea imposes restrictions on tourists from China

A traveler walks past the Covid testing center set up at Incheon International Airport, Seoul, South Korea, December 30, 2022. AP

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After the United States, Italy and Japan, it is South Korea's turn to announce special health measures for visitors from China.

The unprecedented epidemic wave on the other side of the Yellow Sea worries the South Korean authorities, while on January 8, the Chinese will theoretically be able to leave their country freely.

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With our correspondent in Seoul

,

Nicolas Rocca

With a slight delay on

the American ally and the Japanese neighbor,

 the South Korean government

also decided

to try to slow down the arrival of variants from China.

South Korea is one of the favorite destinations for the Chinese, but the South Korean government has

not opened

its arms wide for their arrival.

In any case, this is what South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo suggested: “ 

It is urgent to prepare for the national consequences of the relaxation of health measures in China.

The government inevitably has to tighten some of its health restrictions to prevent the spread in Korea due to the worsening Covid situation in China.

 »

In addition to the PCR tests to be carried out 48 hours before arrival and when entering South Korean territory, the government is above all seeking to

limit the influx

of Chinese tourists. " 

We will therefore restrict the issuance of short-term visas duration at the end of this month, with the exception of diplomats, officials, essential contributions or humanitarian reasons,

 ” he added.

Limited number of flights between Seoul and Beijing

“ 

In addition, additional flights from China will be temporarily suspended and we are unifying arrivals from China at Incheon Airport to ensure effective health measures.

 The air links between the two countries therefore remain limited with, for example, only three direct flights between Seoul and Beijing per week.

PCR test before and after arrival, epidemic monitoring, visa issuance restrictions... Tourism from China is therefore unlikely to return to its pre-pandemic levels on January 8, a financial sacrifice for the country.

In 2019, Chinese accounted for more than a third of all tourists visiting South Korea.

► To read also: Covid-19: fear of the Chinese sub-variant BF.7, Beijing wants to be reassuring

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