Business Trips Becoming Impossible
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy is planning to ask 10 countries, including Vietnam and Japan, not to block the entry of South Korean business persons. This is because an increasing number of governments are doing so in the wake of the spread of COVID-19 in South Korea and their measures can adversely affect South Korean companies’ factory expansion and production activities.
Its request will also be sent to 10 local governments in China where a large number of South Korean companies are located. At present, more and more Chinese local governments are taking the same measure.
As of March 1, a total of 78 countries were restricting or blocking the entry of South Koreans. South Korean companies’ concerns are rising as those countries include their global production bases. For example, in China, the measure has been expanded to cover Beijing and its surrounding areas. The Vietnamese government is temporarily prohibiting South Koreans’ visa-free entry.
“Business trips are impossible and manufacturing facility management and expansion are likely to be affected to a significant extent,” said an official of a South Korean company. The South Korean government is going to emphasize that setbacks in China, Vietnam and other countries can lead to their own losses in that South Korean companies have continued to increase their investments in those regions.