hankyoreh

A passenger arriving via train at Napoli Centrale railway station via Turin and Milan shows soldiers she has official permission to travel on Mar. 22. (Yonhap News)

On Mar. 23, South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) announced a special one-month travel advisory, lasting until Apr. 23, recommending that all South Koreans postpone or cancel any trips abroad. The spread of COVID-19 is leading to the abrupt lockdown of borders and the closure of airports in countries around the world, obstructing the journey home for an increasing number of Korean nationals.

During a meeting with reporters on Monday, a senior MOFA official said, “The global spread of COVID-19 is causing countries to close their borders, airports to shut down, and airlines to suspend flights. This has caused serious difficulties for South Koreans residing overseas, which is why we’ve issued this special travel advisory.”

“Considering the abnormal condition of air travel, it would be best not to travel overseas if possible. Our message is to postpone or cancel trips and, for our citizens who are currently overseas, to take extra precautions for their physical safety,” the official explained.

The South Korean government will be sending charter flights to repatriate stranded South Koreans who have been traveling or living in countries such as Peru and Italy. Some 200 South Korean citizens who have been stuck in Peru since Mar. 17, when the Peruvian government sealed its national borders, will be returning home on a charter flight as early as Mar. 26.

They will be flying out of the Peruvian capital of Lima and traveling to Incheon Airport via Mexico City. Around 200 passengers are to be on board the aircraft, including short-term travelers and KOICA staff, with individual passengers responsible for their own airfare. The cost of the flight from Lima to Incheon is expected to be around 3.78 million won (US$3,010) per person, with additional airfare of US$400 for those boarding in Cuzco.

Temporary airline service is also being offered around next week to bring home South Koreans in Italy. A MOFA official explained, “Around 650 people have been counted as expressing an interest, although we anticipate continued changes.”

“The flight schedule has not yet been decided. We expected it will be around next week,” the official added.

In Spain, demand for the operation of temporary flights is currently being surveyed chiefly among Korean associations, but the government itself may provide charter flights if the situation is unfavorable. The South Korean Ministry of National Defense also announced that it was holding discussions with the relevant countries on sending a charter flight to bring home some peacekeeping troops from the Hanbit Unit deployed to South Sudan.

By Kim So-youn, staff reporter, and Yoo Kang-moon, senior staff writer

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