S. KOREAN FOREIGN MINISTER ON ENTRY BAN

[Anchor Lead]

As more countries are restricting the entry of South Koreans, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha has urged restraint in excessive responses taken by world countries during a global conference.

[Pkg]

​Seoul's top diplomat attended a ministerial meeting on Nuclear Disarmament and the Non-Proliferation Treaty involving 16 nations, held in Berlin, Germany. She assured them the South Korean government was doing all it can preemptively to contain COVID-19 and asked countries to refrain from taking excessive restriction measures against Korean nationals.

[Soundbite] KANG KYUNG-WHA(MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS) : "Our government is filing protests right away when certain measures are deemed excessive."

Kang Kyung-wha also asked the ministers to first seek coordination with Seoul, if their countries find it necessary to impose entrance control. The top diplomat went on to explain her country's initial assessment regarding a local Chinese government forcibly segregating all passengers flying in from Korea, calling it "excessive." She emphasized banning entry of passengers just because they came from South Korea is absolutely unacceptable, and that Seoul was continuing communication with other countries. Regarding criticism that her overseas trip was not the best decision considering the outbreak situation at home, Kang said it was an opportunity to explain Seoul's stance on the global stage and seek cooperation.

[Soundbite] KANG KYUNG-WHA(MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS) : "I had concerns about the situation at home but as foreign minister, it was an opportunity to convey Korea's stance to the international community."

During bilateral talks with her Jordanian counterpart, Kang expressed regret, noting that Jordan banned the entry of 53 South Koreans and quarantined them with no prior consultation with the Korean government.