People stand in a line to check in for a special flight bound for Guangzhou, China, at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on July 23, 2020, after Beijing agreed to allow the entry of South Korean businesspeople into its territory in exception to entry restrictions imposed over coronavirus concerns. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Aug. 13 (Korea Bizwire) — Indonesia has agreed to create a special entry system for South Korean business travelers in exception to its entry restrictions imposed over coronavirus concerns, the foreign ministry said Thursday.
The measure, to take effect Aug. 17, will exempt South Korean businesspeople from the mandatory two-week isolation when they enter the Southeast Asian country, on condition that they submit negative virus test results, the ministry said in a release.
The two sides reached the agreement when Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha spoke by phone with her Indonesian counterpart, Retno Marsudi, on Wednesday.
South Korea has won such entry restriction exception systems from China, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and is in talks with Japan to launch a similar entry system, in an effort to meet growing demand from businesses to resume overseas work disrupted by the entry curbs since the pandemic.
The special entry system with Indonesia is expected to contribute to the bilateral economic relationship and help accelerate the resumption of companies’ overseas business activities, the ministry said.
Indonesia has implemented a blanket entry ban for all foreigners since early April to prevent the spread of COVID-19, with few exceptions, like diplomats and people with long-term residency visas.
Seoul has toughened visa requirements but does not ban foreign arrivals.
(Yonhap)
