EU delegation urges South Korea to accept foreign vaccination certificates

Seoul, Dec 7, (dpa/GNA) – An EU delegation has urged South Korea to accept coronavirus vaccination certificates from foreign nationals fully vaccinated abroad.

“They should have same access rights to public facilities as those Korean nationals fully vaccinated overseas,” the EU delegation tweeted on Tuesday.

There were similar calls from the embassies of Britain, the US, New Zealand and other countries.

Authorities in Seoul recognize the vaccination status of South Koreans who have been vaccinated abroad, but do not accept the same certification for non-Koreans.

This means that affected foreign visitors are usually not able to visit restaurants, cafes, cinemas or other places where proof of vaccination is required. How many people are affected is unclear.

South Korea introduced stricter coronavirus restrictions on Monday in an effort to stop the spread of new Omicron variant infections.

In Seoul and the surrounding area, only up to six people are allowed to come together for private meetings.

South Korea has come through the pandemic well by international standards. A total of 4,954 new infections were registered on Monday,
the health authorities said on Tuesday. The total number of infections rose to 482,310.

GNA