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The arrivals area of Incheon International Airport bustles with travelers. (Yonhap News)

Starting on Wednesday, individuals who haven’t received a COVID-19 vaccine arriving in South Korea from abroad will no longer be required to self-isolate for seven days.

The Central Disease and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters announced on Friday that starting Wednesday, individuals entering South Korea from abroad will no longer be required to self-isolate, regardless of their vaccination status or their citizenship.

“The decision was made upon consideration of increased demand for air travel and the stabilization of the disease control situation domestically and abroad,” Son Young-rae, the head of social strategy at the Central Disaster Management Headquarters, said during a Friday briefing. “We are dropping the isolation requirement in step with isolation requirements being lifted internationally, such as in Germany, the UK, and Denmark.”

Up until now, unvaccinated individuals entering South Korea from abroad were required to quarantine for seven days following their arrival. The requirement could be waived for individuals ages 6 and above only if they had received their second vaccine dose within 180 days of their arrival or if they had received their booster shot.

This had posed difficulties for families wanting to travel abroad, as the vaccination rate for children and teenagers is significantly lower than that for adults, but now, the restriction will be no more.

The new regulation will be retroactively applied to individuals in isolation after entering South Korea prior to Wednesday, who will be released from isolation on the same day.

Individuals who test positive for their required arrival testing will still be put in isolation even after Wednesday.

The government said it will continue to require all international arrivals to receive two PCR or rapid antigen tests — once before departure and once after arrival — as meticulous surveillance is still needed to prevent the inflow of variants of the COVID-19 virus, such as the BA.2.12.1 subvariant, cases of which have been confirmed in South Korea.

Citizens and residents of South Korea as well as foreign nationals on long-term visas can self-administer tests or receive testing at community health centers that have jurisdiction over their residence free of charge. Foreigners on short-term visas such as those for tourism must pay for a test at testing sites such as the airport testing center.

Disease control authorities also said, “Travelers without a negative test certificate or who do not meet the documentation criteria will be restricted from boarding their flight, and we plan to maintain a thorough quarantine inspection management system for international arrivals, the number of which is increasing following the return to normal of international flights.”

As international travel to South Korea is predicted to increase, the government encouraged individuals to take advantage of Q-Code, a system in which those planning to enter the country can input information regarding their test results and health before their arrival.

By Park June-yong, staff reporter

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