China will resume issuing short-term visas for South Korean nationals on February 18, the Chinese embassy in Seoul said Wednesday.
The move follows South Korea’s decision last week to end COVID-19 linked travel restrictions on Chinese nationals rules that sparked a furious response and tit-for-tat measures from Beijing.
From Saturday, the Chinese embassy in Seoul and other consulates will resume issuing short-term visas for Korean citizens to visit China, for business, transit and other private affairs, the embassy said on its official social media account.
China scrapped visa-free transit for South Korean and Japanese citizens last month after Seoul and Tokyo imposed COVID-19 measures on travellers from China, where coronavirus cases were surging at the time.
China has seen a boom in outbound travel after the government abruptly abandoned strict COVID-19 policies that included mandatory quarantines for all arrivals.
Tags: COVID-19 PCR, COVID-19 travel restrictions policy, Outbound travel, China, short-term visa, South Korea, visa-free transit
