S. KOREA-CHINA TALKS OVER ENTRY RESTRICTIONS

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South Korea's Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha spoke to her Chinese counterpart on the phone to express concern over entry restrictions imposed on Korean visitors in China without prior notice. The Foreign Ministry called in the Chinese ambassador to Korea yesterday to voice protest.

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​Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-wha, who is visiting London, spoke on the phone with her Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, on Wednesday. She expressed concern over China's excessive quarantine measures for Korean visitors in various parts of China. Kang said Korea is doing everything possible to contain the spread of the coronavirus, and urged the Chinese government to refrain from imposing excessive restrictions on South Korean nationals. Sources say Kang pointed out that Seoul did not ban Chinese nationals from entering Korea when the virus outbreak just began, and that Beijing should act in a reciprocal manner. Earlier, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs called in Chinese ambassador to Korea Xing Haiming to express protest. Xing stressed that it's not China's central government but provincial governments that are imposing restrictions against Korean travelers.

[Soundbite] XING HAIMING(CHINESE AMBASSADOR TO SOUTH KOREA) : "Some of the provincial governments are taking quarantine measures not only against Koreans but against many Chinese nationals as well."

The Foreign Ministry's website providing information on overseas travel currently has no information on China's entry restrictions for foreigners arriving from Korea. The ministry says it only posts notices on the official stance of each country, but those traveling overseas need accurate information on which countries may deny entry to them. Meanwhile, the Philippines began to deny entry to passengers arriving from Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do Province starting on Thursday. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, so far some 30 countries and regions around the world are restricting travelers from South Korea.