South Korea to Accept Fully Vaccinated Tourists Starting July 2021

Amid its efforts to regain normalcy, the South Korea transport ministry is planning to welcome fully vaccinated tourists as early as July 2021.

During the interagency COVID response meeting on Wednesday, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said, “Starting in July, we plan to allow group travel of fully vaccinated people through consultations between nations with stable antivirus conditions.”

Unsurprisingly, the pandemic has severely affected the air travel and tourism industry in South Korea. With this, the prime minister is hopeful for the reopening of tourism. 

“The resumption of overseas travel is a signal that we are returning to daily life, and one that many expect,” the prime minister said, as reported by TBS News.

Also read: For Solo Travellers: How to Explore South Korea Like a Pro

South Korea travel protocols for vaccinated tourists

All tourists visiting Korea must provide a negative COVID-19 test result issued within 72 hours before departure. A 14-day quarantine is mandatory upon entry for all visitors, with the exception of: (a) travellers who have been vaccinated in Korea, and (b) travellers who have been inoculated with WHO-authorised vaccines for emergency use.

Starting 1 Jul 2021, select categories of fully vaccinated travellers may apply for a quarantine exemption certificate at their local Korean Embassy prior to departure. The following are some of the requirements:

• Intended date of travel must take place two weeks after receiving complete doses of a WHO-authorised vaccine: Pfizer, Janssen, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Covishield, Sinopharm, or Sinovac
• Travel purposes include: important business, academic/public interest, humanitarian reasons, government official business trip

For updates and more information, you may visit the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Republic of the Philippines’ official website.

Vaccination and travel updates in South Korea

South Korea continues to battle with new COVID-19 cases daily. Nevertheless, the country sees stability in its pandemic response measures.

As of writing, over 16% of South Koreans have been vaccinated. The country also anticipates an increase in vaccine supply in the coming months.

Moreover, the South Korean transport ministry is now in talks with a number of Asian countries to pursue travel bubble agreements.

Also read: Emirates Offers Flights From ₱21,000 to These Destinations in June 2021

Vaccination updates in the Philippines

Meanwhile in the Philippines, residents continue to wait for their turn to get vaccinated.

On 9 Jun 2021, the National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 announced that they are awaiting a new batch of vaccines starting 10 Jun. According to NTF, the new batch would include Sinovac (1 million doses), Pfizer (2,279,160 doses), and Sputnik V (100,000 doses).

Also read: Important Things to Know About COVID-19 Vaccination in the Philippines

Around six million Filipinos have gotten at least one vaccine dose, according to the latest updates by the NTF.

Featured image credit: sibway via Canva Pro