hankyoreh

A group 340 “essential business” travelers selected from among 143 companies go through departure procedures at Incheon International Airport for the destination of Vietnam on Apr. 29. (Yonhap News)

South Korea and China have agreed to adopt a “fast track” system exempting businesspeople from a mandatory 14-day quarantine upon arrival if they have tested negative for the novel coronavirus, the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) announced on Apr. 29. The agreement is the first example of systematic exceptions being granted for international travel at a time when countries around the world are imposing entry restrictions amid the virus pandemic.

The “fast track” procedures agreed upon by the two sides will apply to 10 regions within China and go into effect as of May 1. The 10 regions in question -- which include the cities of Shanghai, Tianjin, and Chongqing and the provinces of Liaoning, Shandong, Jiangsu, Guangdong, Shanxi, Sichuan, and Anhui -- are places with large amounts of interaction between South Korean and Chinese businesses, MOFA explained.

But with regular air routes only available for Shanghai, Liaoning, Shandong, Jiangsu, and Anhui, the fast track system will really only be applied to those five regions for the time being. According to some observers, the omission of the capital city of Beijing raises questions over whether the effects will live up to expectations.

Travelers need to test negative 72 hours prior to flight

South Korean businesspeople hoping to visit one of these regions in China will need to have an invitation issued by a Chinese local government, as well as a visa issued by the Chinese Embassy or a Chinese consulate in South Korea. They will also need to test negative for COVID-19 by a healthcare institution designated by the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) within a 72-hour period prior to their flight’s departure. Upon arrival in China, they will be isolated for one to two days in a location designated by a local Chinese government, where they are to be tested for the virus again.

China has been effectively banning international arrival since Mar. 28 amid an increase in imported virus cases. A MOFA official said, “Through this generalization of exceptional entry procedures for South Korean businesspeople, which had previously been approached on a case-by-case basis, we are anticipating that economic activities within China can be guaranteed for a larger number of South Korean businesspeople, including those representing SMEs and middle-market companies.”

By Kim So-youn and Noh Ji-won, staff reporters

Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]