South Korea lifts visa restrictions on Chinese travellers
On Saturday, it was announced that South Korea plans to lift visa restrictions on travelers from China. The reason for lifting the restriction was explained as China's improving the Covid-19 situation.
As China has completed the developments in the Covid-19 process, the decision to remove the visa restriction for China from South Korea has come. At the meeting held on Friday, the government decided to normalize the short-term visa application. The decision will go into effect on Saturday, but the testing requirement will remain.
China had ended its "zero-Covid" policy last month. For this reason South Korea stopped issuing short-term visas to Chinese citizens. Beijing retaliated by requiring a visa to South Korea.
Kim Sung-ho, South Korea’s vice interior minister in charge of disaster and safety management, said the government had decided to restart the visa issuance after the number of infections among Chinese arrivals dropped significantly, and new strains of the virus have not emerged.
South Korea’s prime minister, Han Duck-soo, last week hinted at lifting restrictions before the end of February if China’s Covid situation became “manageable”.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that this move was "a step in the right direction".
Chinese moreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning “China will actively consider the resumption of short-term visas for South Korean citizens on a reciprocal basis. We hope that the Republic of Korea will work with China to create more convenience for the normal flow of people between the two sides,” said at a regular briefing.
