China halts short-term visas in South Korea, first response to COVID curbs (updated)

Amorepacific

10/01/2023 04:57

(Adds South Korea foreign ministry's reaction, background)
    By Yew Lun Tian and Soo-hyang Choi
       BEIJING/SEOUL, Jan 10 (Reuters) - The Chinese embassy in
South Korea has suspended issuing short-term visas for South
Korean visitors, it said on Tuesday, the first retaliatory move
against nations imposing COVID-19 curbs on travellers from
China.
    The embassy will adjust the policy subject to the lifting of
South Korea's "discriminatory entry restrictions" against China,
it said on its official WeChat account.
    A Chinese embassy official confirmed the new measure.
    The announcement comes a day after Foreign Minister Qin Gang
expressed concern about the restrictions in a telephone call
with his South Korean counterpart Park Jin, according to China's
foreign ministry.
    "Our government's enhanced quarantine measures on travellers
from China are based on scientific and objective evidence," Lim
Soo-suk, a spokesperson for Seoul's foreign ministry, told a
regular briefing following the announcement. 
        "We have been transparently exchanging related
information with the international community, and have also been
communicating with the Chinese side."
  
        South Korea began requiring travellers from China to
undergo a 
    PCR test
     upon arrival from last week, joining a growing list of
countries imposing border restrictions amid concern over
infections following China's decision to end its zero-COVID
policies.
  
        Effective Thursday, arrivals are also required to
provide a negative PCR result, taken within 48 hours of the
beginning of the journey to South Korea, or a rapid antigen test
taken within 24 hours, while short-term visa issuance has been
suspended for Chinese nationals until the end of the month. 
  
    On Thursday, South Korean police tracked down a Chinese man
who went missing while awaiting quarantine after having tested
positive for COVID-19 upon arrival.
    South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol said on Monday the
country's border measures should focus strictly on the safety of
its citizens. 
        The latest tension dampened share prices of South Korean
companies with heavy exposure to business with China, sending
cosmetics makers LG H &H  051900.KS  and Amorepacific
 090430.KS  down by more than 2% each in late afternoon trade
after early gains.
  
 (Reporting by Liz Lee and Yew Lun Tian in Beijing, Hyonhee
Shin, Soo-hyang Choi and Choonsik Yoo in Seoul; Editing by
Clarence Fernandez and Raju Gopalakrishnan)
 ((liz.lee@thomsonreuters.com; Twitter: @livinglizly;))