Korea to reinforce travel bans on restricted countries

The South Korean government Wednesday said it would tighten regulations on its nationals’ visits to countries banned for travel due to safety concerns.

The Foreign Ministry said it would revise the passport law to impose stricter exceptions for South Koreans traveling to or staying in countries listed as dangerous to visit following the deadly terror attack in Paris last week. As of Nov. 18, Syria, Iraq, Somalia, Afghanistan, Yemen and Libya were designated as travel-restricted nations.

Under the proposed revision, Koreans will only be allowed to travel to restricted areas when their spouses and family members have died or are in critical health condition there. The previous regulation allowed Korean nationals to cite “humanitarian relief work” as a reason to visit the areas.

Koreans already residing in these countries will be required to file a document that the government deems “compelling” enough to warrant extension of their residence. Previously, those residing in the areas were able to extend their stay if they secured the right to permanent residence from the respective local authorities.
 

Duma, Syria. Yonhap

The revision came as the government has beefed up its efforts to prevent Koreans from being involved with terrorist groups and to protect them from potential terrorist attacks. In July, a young Korean man allegedly joined the Islamic State. In April, 23 South Koreans refused to leave Yemen despite the government warnings.

“The government used to grant passports even to the people (whose reason for travel) did not fit the purpose of the law. We recognized the need for prompt revision,” the government said in the announcement.

The government said it would gather public opinion about the legislation until Nov. 24, after which the legislation would be subject to review from relevant government agencies and the National Assembly’s parliamentary committees before the lawmakers sign it into law.

According to 2014 statistics from the Foreign Ministry released in September, 1,141 Koreans live in Iraq with 159 in Afghanistan, 47 in Yemen and 44 in Libya. No Koreans live in Syria or Somalia.

By Yeo Jun-suk  (jasonyeo@heraldcorp.com)