By Soo-hyang Choi and Hyonhee Shin
SEOUL (Reuters) -China’s recent decision to suspend the issue of short-term visas in South Korea was “deeply regrettable”, the South’s Foreign Minister Park Jin said on Wednesday.
Tuesday’s suspension by the Chinese embassy in South Korea was China’s first retaliatory move against countries imposing COVID-19 curbs on its travellers.
“It’s deeply regrettable China took such a countermeasure by entirely suspending issuance of short-term visas,” Park told a news briefing, adding that South Korea still issues visas to Chinese visitors for urgent business or humanitarian purposes.
Last week, South Korea ordered a PCR test for travellers arriving from China, joining a growing list of nations adopting border curbs amid concern over infections, after China abruptly ended its stringent “zero-COVID” policy.
Arrivals must also provide a negative result of a PCR test taken up to 48 hours before starting their journey, or a rapid antigen test taken within 24 hours.
Some Chinese tourists have complained over such curbs, which are the strictest among the new rules countries have adopted, but South Korea said they were not discriminatory.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said there is no need for the two countries to suffer tension and an “uncomfortable relationship” and Seoul’s decision was not meant to target anyone.
“There seems to be some diplomatic tension due to China’s retaliatory measure … I don’t think that’s necessary,” he told a New Year policy briefing by foreign policy and defence aides.
“This is not a diplomatic issue nor an economic trade issue, but just to protect our people of our country.”
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency also said its measures are “inevitable” and “temporary”, and apply to all people arriving from China including South Koreans.
“There is no discrimination based on nationality,” it said in a statement.
Park urged Beijing to make quarantine decisions on the basis of scientific and objective reasons, adding that Seoul would adjust its measures depending China’s COVID situation.
In its policy briefing for Yoon, the foreign ministry vowed to pursue “confident” diplomacy with Beijing to foster “mutual respect and reciprocity”.
“I don’t think it’s desirable for these measures to have any negative impact on bilateral ties,” Park added. “We will maintain our science-based, objective stance regarding quarantine measures.”
(Reporting by Hyonhee Shin and Soo-hyang Choi; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Christian Schmollinger)
