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Coronavirus South Korea

Coronavirus South Korea
Latest news and updates on the impact of a new strain of coronavirus on South Korea. The virus, which causes the disease Covid-19 and was first reported in Wuhan in China, has killed hundreds of people and infected thousands in South Korea. Many of the initial cases were linked to a branch of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in the southeastern city of Daegu.
Tourists watch a folk art performance among pear blossoms in Dangshan, east China’s Anhui province, on April 2. China’s domestic tourism has recovered but it’s a different story for international travel. Photo: Xinhua
China economy

Outside In | Global tourism is recovering, but for Asia it’s a mixed bag at best

UN Tourism forecasts a full recovery this year but the data is skewed by the robust recovery in Europe; across Asia, arrivals remain well below 2019 levels.

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South Korea

South Korea to lift Covid quarantine mandate, end testing for travellers

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Coronavirus pandemic

‘Pandemic 2.0’ could hit Asia-Pacific economies hard: MSD report

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Asia travel

Tourists’ love of K-drama and K-pop propels Seoul shopping hub

Myeong-dong in South Korea’s capital, Seoul, is flourishing again with the return of foreign travellers, with many citing their love of K-dramas and K-pop as reasons to visit the area.

Tourists are returning to Myeong-dong, the popular shopping district in Seoul, South Korea, with many citing their love of K-dramas and K-pop as reasons for visiting. Photo: Reuters
Banking & finance

Macroscope | South Korea’s outlook is foggy, but will ‘stopping the car’ help?

Among the biggest vulnerabilities in the world economy are overheated real estate markets, the threat of a full-blown recession and the heightened risk of policy mistake by central banks. No other nation is having to contend with them as intensely as South Korea.

South Korea

South Korea to drop Covid tests for China arrivals from March 1

However, travellers from China will still need to take pre-departure PCR tests until at least March 10, a South Korean official said.

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South Korea

Seoul extends restrictions on China arrivals fearing post-holiday Covid surge

Health authorities have extend the coronavirus measures on short-term travellers from China through the end of February.

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A South Korean soldier leads a group of Chinese tourists to a Covid testing centre upon their arrival at Incheon airport on January 12. Photo: Reuters
South Korea

South Korea joins Singapore in scrapping indoor mask mandate. And Hong Kong?

Singapore lifted its own indoor mask mandate in August. Japan, which never imposed a mandate, is debating no longer asking people to wear masks indoors. But in Hong Kong you can still be fined for not wearing a mask outside.

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South Korea

South Korea accused of ramping up discrimination against Chinese tourists

A social media account run by a nationalistic Chinese tabloid says Seoul’s entry restrictions, PCR tests unfairly target Chinese travellers.

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Hong Kong reopens

Hong Kong asks South Korea to remove ‘unreasonable’ flight restrictions

Flights from Hong Kong can only land at Seoul’s Incheon International Airport.

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Seoul’s Incheon International Airport. Photo: Shutterstock
Coronavirus China

China suspends visas for South Koreans, Japanese over travel restrictions

Chinese embassy in South Korea says visas for business, tourism, medical treatment, transit and general private affairs are suspended for South Koreans.

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China says its suspension of visas for South Koreans was triggered by “South Korea’s discriminatory entry restrictions on China”. Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto
South Korea

South Korea police find Chinese Covid-positive man who skipped quarantine

South Korea police said the man would be taken to a quarantine facility and could later be charged under a disease control law, and be subject to a year in prison.

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South Korea

South Korea hunts Chinese Covid-positive escapee who fled quarantine hotel

The 41-year-old passenger, who tested positive for Covid on arrival, fled from a quarantine hotel on Yeongjong Island off the west coast of Incheon, South Korean police said.

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Coronavirus China

Spain joins Italy in placing new curbs on Chinese travellers

South Korea also announced that it will limit flights and suspend applications for tourist visas from China

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Italy was the first European country to impose restrictions on travellers from China. Photo: AFP
South Korea

Seoul’s Myeongdong street vendors to close on Christmas Eve to prevent human crush

Street vendors on the famous tourist shopping district of South Korea’s Myeongdong will close on Christmas Eve, and partially close on New Year’s Eve, to prevent a repeat of the Itaewon Halloween crush that killed some 159 people.

Myeongdong, a famous shopping street in downtown Seoul, Korea, bustling wihth shoppers ahead of Christmas. Photo: -/YNA/dpa
South Korea

Can K-pop fans, digital nomads turn South Korea into a ‘tourism powerhouse’?

The country aims to attract 30 million visitors yearly with visas for digital nomads, K-culture training and ‘workcations’, as it seeks to rejuvenate tourism.

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Coronavirus pandemic

Opinion | Why East Asia has an edge in keeping off the worst of Covid-19

From Japan to Singapore, East Asia’s developed economies continue to report remarkably fewer infections and deaths. This is despite the early vaccine advantages of their rich Western peers, and even as milder variants lower death rates globally.

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South Korea

South Korean weapon exports may top China’s as Seoul inks more defence deals

Eyeing a place among the world’s top defence-exporting nations, South Korea has been stepping up deals to supply advanced weapons such as jets and missile systems to the Middle East, Europe and elsewhere.

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Visitors take turns getting a hands-on look at a 30mm self-propelled anti-aircraft system during last month’s defence expo in Goyang, South Korea. Photo: AFP
Asia travel

Destinations known | Planning a trip to Singapore? Visit soon, before the climate fully collapses

The number of international arrivals in Singapore is expected to rise as Covid curbs further ease – and returnees to the Lion City will discover a couple of interesting new places.

South Korea

South Korea’s Yoon, battling record unpopularity, takes aim at police

Yoon Suk-yeol has had to defend a proposal to assume greater control over law enforcement after it prompted police protests his interior minister compared to a ‘military coup’.

Coronavirus pandemic

Coronavirus: Fresh Covid-19 wave sweeps Asia

Countries such as Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, China, Australia and New Zealand are being urged to take precautions as authorities grapple with economic fallout from pandemic while trying to avoid unpopular restrictions.

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A health worker in China takes a swab sample from a child to be tested for Covid-19 as a new wave hits Asia. Photo: AFP
Foreigners in China

South Koreans once came to China in droves – now they’re leaving en masse

China used to be seen as a land of opportunity for South Koreans, but as businesses close and livelihoods come under threat, their struggle reflects a rising dilemma facing foreigners.

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South Korean nationals are leaving China at an alarming rate - to the point that some are concerned it might further impede the development of bilateral relations that have become strained in recent years. Illustration: Brian Wang
Coronavirus pandemic

North Korea blames Covid outbreak on ‘alien things’ near South Korea border

In an apparent move to shift blame for a wave of infections, state media cited a soldier and a child, 5, who touched unidentified materials before falling ill.

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South Korea

South Korea approves first home-made Covid-19 vaccine

SK Bioscience is seeking an approval from the World Health Organization for its shots, which would potentially open export opportunities.

South Korea

South Korea to lift quarantine rule for unvaccinated foreign travellers

The government also announced that international flight schedules at Incheon airport will return to normal, providing an unlimited number of flights to overseas travellers.

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South Korea will lift a seven-day quarantine mandate for unvaccinated arrivals from overseas next week. Photo: EPA-EFE/Yonhap
Coronavirus pandemic

Japan, China, South Korea ‘on guard against heightening risks’ to outlook

Finance ministers and central bank governors from Japan, China and South Korea on Thursday warned of the risks from the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine to Asia’s economic recovery.

The Japanese, Chinese and South Korean officials affirmed their commitment to using support measures, which they did not specify, for maintaining financial market stability and long-tem fiscal sustainability. Photo: EPA-EFE
Coronavirus Hong Kong

Letters | John Lee must regain youth’s trust to get Hong Kong back to normal

Readers discuss Hong Kong’s young vaccine holdouts, ways technology can improve education, Chinese scepticism about Western vaccines and why international travellers are reluctant to visit Hong Kong.

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South Korea

Coronavirus: Why do South Koreans still wear masks even after mandate lifted?

Some experts believe one of the reasons why some South Koreans are choosing to keep their masks on is to get some relief in a society obsessed with looks. It also shows respect for other people’s well-being.

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