London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Sep 09, 2025

South Korea to revise rules on mandatory Covid-19 testing of foreigners

South Korea to revise rules on mandatory Covid-19 testing of foreigners

Officials in the South Korean capital Seoul have reversed course on controversial plans to require all foreign workers to undergo Covid-19 testing after facing a torrent of criticism from diplomatic missions and international businesses.
The ruling, which came into force Wednesday, required all foreign workers in the capital to undergo coronavirus screenings, or face fines of up to 2 million Korean won ($1,775).

In a news release from the city government Friday, Seoul City officials said they would now only recommend foreign workers employed at high-risk businesses with dense and unventilated working environments undergo testing by March 31. The city also recommended South Korean nationals working at the same businesses get tested, the release added.

The policy has already been brought into place in neighboring Gyeonggi province as well as several other cities and provinces. It is not clear whether other provinces will follow Seoul's steps.

The policy had been labeled by many as xenophobic and discriminatory, with ruling party lawmaker Lee Sang-min describing it as an "unjust racist action against foreigners" and warning that it would result in "international embarrassment."

Seoul City officials had previously denied the policy was discriminatory, pointing to statistics showing the proportion of foreign residents among confirmed Covid-19 cases in the capital had jumped from 2.2% last year to 6.3% this month. "I ask for people's participation and think of this as a measure to protect the individual's safety rather than discrimination," said Seoul City official Song Eun-cheol earlier Friday.

The ruling had threatened to create something of a diplomatic incident, however, with a growing list of nations, including the United States and United Kingdom, voicing their opposition.

British ambassador to South Korea Simon Smith posted a video to Twitter Thursday in which he said, "we consider these measures are not fair, they are not proportionate, nor are they likely to be effective." Smith said he had also raised the issue with South Korea's National Human Rights Commission.

Canada's ambassador Micheal Danagher retweeted the post, saying he and other ambassadors were making similar representations. Rebukes by ambassadors to the government of their host nation are rare, although the embassies stopped short of advising their nationals to not follow government rules.

The US Embassy in Seoul also tweeted Friday, "We have raised our concerns with senior level Korean authorities and are advocating strongly for fair and equitable treatment of all US citizens in our shared efforts to stop the pandemic."

Both Seoul City and South Korean health officials had previously avoided direct questions about the epidemiological reasons for testing foreigners but not their Korean colleagues.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Brand-New $1 Million Yacht Sinks Just Fifteen Minutes After Maiden Launch in Turkey
Here’s What the FBI Seized in John Bolton Raid — and the Legal Risks He Faces
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Queen Camilla’s Teenage Courage: Fended Off Attempted Assault on London Train, New Biography Reveals
Scottish Brothers Set Record in Historic Pacific Row
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
×