Empty streets of Myeongdong
After the outbreak of COVID-19 in January, Korean government has imposed enhanced customs clearance, restrictions on entry of people from stronger customs formalities, restrictions on entry of people from Hubei, cancellation of visa-free courtesies in Jeju Island, and more. It has lead to decreasing number of Chinese entrants.
On April 4th, it was recorded there were no Chinese immigration or emigration in Korea. This is a phenomenon that has not happened since 28 years ago.
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![Passengers disembarking a Korean Air plane wearing face masks and protective gear during COVID-19 pandemic measures.]()
Source：Kyunghyang
According to Ministry of Justice, on April 4th, number of Chinese flight attendants have reached zero, which has never happened after August of 1992.
On March 29, only 464 Chinese passengers have entered Korea, the number dropped by 50 on March 30th. The number fluctuated by small number after that and finally became zero on April 4th.
In january, daily number of Chinese travelers between China and Korea was 33,000 on average, about 14,500 people entering Korea. In only 2 to three months, the number has drastically dropped.
It's not just Chinese but the total number of foreigners who entered South Korea has also fallen sharply. The numbers are as follows :
| 2020.01 | 2020.02 | |
| Total | 1,320,011 | 719,449 (↓45.5%) |
| China | 446,702 | 86,141 (↓80.8%) |
| Japan | 208,054 | 213,165 (↑2.6%) |
| Taiwan | 113,277 | 54,244 (↓52.1%) |
| Hong Kong | 65,685 | 20,360 (↓69%) |
| Singapore | 10,788 | 5,943 (↓44.9%) |
| Thailand | 39,335 | 32,331 (↓17.8%) |
| Malaysia | 27,612 | 18,602 (↓32.6%) |
| Vietnam | 34,703 | 42,437 (↑22.2%) |
The number of Korean immigrants from China, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Hong Kong as shown significant decline, but has increased in Japan and Vietnam. These numbers are from January and February and the data for March is not yet available, but you can tell from the trend that the number will be lower than ever.
The reasons would be Japan and South Korea cancelling visa-free courtesy, Korean government implementing full isolation and quarantine after traveling in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore, and comprehensive cancellation of tourist visa issuance regulations expected to be implemented by April 13.
Korean traveling industry is at its lowest, and this trend is not limited to Korea only but the whole world suffers from it. We all hope that this crisis can be overcome as soon as possible.
