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| Passengers stand in line to go through the check-in process at Terminal 1 of Incheon International Airport, Friday. Yonhap |
KDCA plans to allow registration to all foreigners, but fails to give exact date
By Lee Hyo-jin
Residents of foreign nationality who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 abroad are experiencing inconvenience here as they are ineligible to register their vaccination record with the government system unless they have a quarantine exemption certification.
Under current measures, Korean nationals who have been vaccinated overseas may register their inoculation record on the COVID-19 vaccine app (COOV) by visiting a local health center, while non-Korean nationals can make the registration only if they have a quarantine exemption certificate.
Quarantine exemption certificates are issued by diplomatic establishments abroad for urgent and inevitable entry for business, academic, public or humanitarian reasons.
As such, foreign nationals without a quarantine waiver cannot prove their vaccination history, which leaves them categorized as "unvaccinated" in the government system.
The foreign residents, who are facing exclusion from the vaccine pass or incentives offered to fully vaccinated people in line with the government's "Living with COVID-19" plan which began Nov. 1, are calling on the health authorities to rectify this "discriminatory and bureaucratic" policy.
"I've been to three local health centers and contacted the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) by phone, but they've all said that I'm a foreigner and therefore cannot register my vaccination history," a foreign resident from the United Kingdom who requested anonymity, told The Korea Times.
He received his final dose of Moderna in the U.K. in June and entered Korea in late August.
"Originally, I didn't plan to get re-vaccinated since it's unfair for me to use up the vaccine that could go for someone else, but now with the implementation of the vaccine pass, I think I have no choice," he said.
Under the vaccine pass policy, since Nov. 1, those who have not been vaccinated should submit a negative PCR test result carried out within 48 hours in order to enter multiuse facilities such as gyms, public baths, nightlife establishments and nursing homes.
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| A foreign resident receives a Pfizer vaccine at a vaccination center in Dongjak District of Seoul, Oct. 18. Yonhap |
"Although I'm not a person who frequently visits entertainment facilities, being excluded based on nationality is highly discriminatory. It is ridiculous that the KDCA is indirectly pressuring us to get vaccinated again in Korea," she added.
A university professor in Seoul from the United States said, "I've paid for a one year membership at a gym, but starting Nov. 14, I will be unable to go. I don't have time during the day to get a PCR test, and I don't think I should have to get multiple PCR tests per week just to use gym services."
"But these are small inconveniences, assuming they are not permanent. More than anything, the effect is emotional. The Korean government has demonstrated that it is not willing to treat non-Koreans with the same dignity that they offer Korean citizens regarding its COVID-19-related policies," he said.
Some foreign residents have chosen to receive the vaccine again here, as currently, revaccination is the only way to register a valid inoculation record.
A resident from the U.S. surnamed Lara received his final dose of Pfizer in California in July, but he was administered with a Janssen dose in Korea in August.
"I was concerned about the new rules which were then being discussed, such as the current ones that only fully vaccinated people can enter gyms, saunas, pools and meet in larger groups," he said, adding that he talked with an immunologist about the safety of getting a Janssen shot after being fully vaccinated.
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| A notice displayed in front of a "vaccine pass" theater at CGV cinema in Yongsan District of Seoul reads that only fully vaccinated people or those who submit negative PCR test results can enter the theater where eating snacks is allowed, Nov. 1. Korea Times photo by Bae Woo-han |
The KDCA, for its part, said it is aware of the inconveniences experienced by foreign residents, but failed to give an exact date as to when the government will begin to recognize their overseas vaccination record.
"We view that stricter standards should be applied to prove the validity of overseas vaccination records of non-Koreans, compared with that of Korean nationals," an official at the quarantine policy division told The Korea Times. "We are planning to enable registration of foreign nationals depending on the COVID-19 situation here, but currently, it's difficult to give an exact date."
When asked about the KDCA's guidelines for foreign nationals who are choosing to get revaccinated here, the official said, "We will take this situation into consideration and come up with improved measures as soon as possible."
