South Korea cancels visa-free travel for Thais from April 13

[rooster59]

South Korea cancels visa-free travel for Thais from April 13

By THE NATION

 

 

South Korea has temporarily halted the visa exemption facility for Thais travelling to their country, the Royal Thai Embassy in Seoul said on its Facebook page on Friday (April 10).

 

 

The move is aimed at preventing the spreading of Covid-19 in South Korea.

 

The move also includes press visa (C-1) and short-term visa (C-3) for single and multiple uses which were issued before April 5.

 

Thai nationals who wish to enter South Korea from April 13 onwards will have to apply for a visa at the South Korean embassy in Thailand, except those holding diplomatic and official passports.

 

The Thai and South Korean governments had signed a visa-free travel agreement since December 9, 1981 that allowed people from either country to travel and stay in the other country for not exceeding 90 days without visa to promote tourism.

 

The embassy also added that the South Korean government has employed strict measures to reduce imported cases of Covid-19, which have risen to 861 from over 10,000 of the total confirmed cases in the country.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30385782

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-04-12

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[Canuck1966]

Good, ban them all, forever

[baansgr]

No more little ghosts...

[Maitdjai]

What goes around, comes around!

[Thailand]

But surely the Koreans know that Thailand is one of the most successful countries in the world in controlling the spread of the virus. 

They and the rest of the world could learn a lot. 

[Canuck1966]

Until they can be better hosts the whole country should be restricted from travelling anywhere

[donnacha]

After past outbreaks, Korea has some of the world's leading epidemiologists. They dealt with their outbreak with national action, extensive testing, and absolute transparency.

If you want to understand the true nature of Thailand's astonishing success in preventing Covid-19, have a bit of a think about what Korea have just done.

 

Edited April 12, 2020 by donnacha

[Captain Monday]

And visa exempt for 89 other nationalities also.

[JackThompson]

Hopefully, with many Thais unable to work illegally in S-Korea, this will increase pressure for Thailand to restrict work-visas to low-wage foreigners, so Thais can get decent-paying jobs in their own country.

[marko kok prong]

Alot of Koreans must be missing their massages.

[sqwakvfr]

I think Covid 19 will cause the end of Visa Exempt Entries to most countries.  The days of flying to multiple countries in a short amount of time are probably over.  I can foresee travelers obtaining a Visa along with Medical Certificates and travel/medical insurance or be denied entry.  Also, clearing immigration/customs at airports will take a lot more time.  

 

The Good Old Days are gone.  Stay Homing or Local could become the New Normal.  My next trip out of LOS(whenever this occurs) could end being a One Way Journey.  

[smedly]

53 minutes ago, marko kok prong said:

Alot of Koreans must be missing their massages.

could be a good move for Thailand when this is all over - we will see a massive surge of S Korean men coming to Thailand looking for happy happy 

Edited April 12, 2020 by smedly

[smedly]

32 minutes ago, sqwakvfr said:

I think Covid 19 will cause the end of Visa Exempt Entries to most countries.  The days of flying to multiple countries in a short amount of time are probably over.  I can foresee travelers obtaining a Visa along with Medical Certificates and travel/medical insurance or be denied entry.  Also, clearing immigration/customs at airports will take a lot more time.  

 

The Good Old Days are gone.  Stay Homing or Local could become the New Normal.  My next trip out of LOS(whenever this occurs) could end being a One Way Journey.  

won't happen - tourism is almost 25% of GDP 

 

Money No1

[wasabi]

I would prefer Korean visitors to a few other nationalities.

[Misterwhisper]

Well, I guess many of these little ghosts will now have no choice but to become big ghosts right here back home. Korea says: 좋은 타조

[marko kok prong]

4 hours ago, smedly said:

could be a good move for Thailand when this is all over - we will see a massive surge of S Korean men coming to Thailand looking for happy happy 

Not just men,i know a massage girl who worked there a long time a lot of the Korean girls dare each other apparently to go and have the full deal with a Thai massage girl,in fact my gf worked there for 3 months and hated it especially the girls asking for this,she told me she refused,but a little more money on the table,who knows?

[daveAustin]

5 hours ago, sqwakvfr said:

I think Covid 19 will cause the end of Visa Exempt Entries to most countries.  The days of flying to multiple countries in a short amount of time are probably over.  I can foresee travelers obtaining a Visa along with Medical Certificates and travel/medical insurance or be denied entry.  Also, clearing immigration/customs at airports will take a lot more time.  

 

The Good Old Days are gone.  Stay Homing or Local could become the New Normal.  My next trip out of LOS(whenever this occurs) could end being a One Way Journey.  

I agree for the short term but as soon as a vaccine is rolled out (looking like Oxford Uni), it'll be business as usual and covid will be consigned to 'normal condition of society' much as the flu (YES I KNOW IT'S NOT THE SAME).  

[Cake Monster]

6 hours ago, JackThompson said:

Hopefully, with many Thais unable to work illegally in S-Korea, this will increase pressure for Thailand to restrict work-visas to low-wage foreigners, so Thais can get decent-paying jobs in their own country.

The reason that there are so many low wage Foreign workers here from Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar, is that the many Thais will simply not do the work that these people do.

They will not work in the Fields, on Building Sites and in any dirty occupations such as recycling, as they deem it beneath them to do so. 

[Fex Bluse]

7 hours ago, donnacha said:

After past outbreaks, Korea has some of the world's leading epidemiologists. They dealt with their outbreak with national action, extensive testing, and absolute transparency.

If you want to understand the true nature of Thailand's astonishing success in preventing Covid-19, have a bit of a think about what Korea have just done.

 

Yes, Thailand's astonishing success just like China's unbelievable - meaning not able to believed - success. 

 

Simple solution to low reported numbers:

1. don't test much

2. don't report all cases

3. attribute covid deaths to other causes like heart failure or lung failure 

 

Easy 

[hotchilli]

8 hours ago, baansgr said:

No more little ghosts...

Exactly, a well though out plan.

Give them an amnesty to go home then revoke the 90day visa exemption, keep out the "working girls"

Anyone stupid enough to still be in S.Korea on overstay is going to be in hot water.

Especially if the government tighten the penalties for employing illegals which will force them out of work.

[connda]

They chosen to ban their illegal labor force?  Humm ????

[Mbaki]

18 hours ago, smedly said:

won't happen - tourism is almost 25% of GDP 

 

Money No1

Where did you get that figure? Tourism is nowhere near 25%, try 6%-7% and you would be closer.

[Boomer6969]

19 hours ago, Fex Bluse said:

3. attribute covid deaths to other causes like heart failure or lung failure 

Possibly brake failure?

 

Or something like a COVID outbrake.

Edited April 13, 2020 by Boomer6969

[metisdead]

An inflammatory post has been removed. 

[JackThompson]

On 4/12/2020 at 4:44 PM, Cake Monster said:

The reason that there are so many low wage Foreign workers here from Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar, is that the many Thais will simply not do the work that these people do.

They will not work in the Fields, on Building Sites and in any dirty occupations such as recycling, as they deem it beneath them to do so. 

That is not the reason.  The reason, is that those paying don't want to pay a decent wage, which is WHY Thais don't do 'those jobs' any more. 

 

Thais do those Very Same Jobs in other countries, like South Korea, where pay is higher.  Many in my village in Issan have to work overseas - doing the Same Jobs the immigrants do here - because of this.  Most valuable things they own are from this foreign-work.  They "work in the fields," too - just not as cheeply has the imported workers.

 

It's the exact same phenomenon, with the same lying-excuse, that happens in my passport-country.  We worked "those jobs" right up until we were Replaced - coincident with 60% pay-reductions.   But somehow, on the TV, our experiences being replaced, were never reported.  The country/world was told we "didn't want to do those jobs" - which was a blatant lie.

 

The next excuse, is that prices would skyrocket if the labor-costs increased.  "How many baht per sq-meter?" I ask, to allow Thais to work in their own country?  How much would an increase in labor-costs add to the retail price  of a 30M-Baht+ condo?  If it is like manufacturing, less than 1% - but would expand the Thai middle class many-fold, greatly improving the overall state of the economy and country.

Edited April 14, 2020 by JackThompson

[JackThompson]

On 4/13/2020 at 6:36 AM, Mbaki said:

Where did you get that figure? Tourism is nowhere near 25%, try 6%-7% and you would be closer.

Estimates range from 9% to ~18%, depending what foreigners you count (short vs longer staying), and if you count all the 2ndary spending which originates with the foreigner-dollars, which could not exist, otherwise. 

 

Granted, by shutting-out more Westerners, and increasing the 'package-tour' sector, the amount of money reaching average-Thais is much, much lower now.  Not that the fate of regular-folks matters at all to those making the decisions; only the interests of connected-businesses, where the package-tourists are taken to spend, are considered.

Edited April 14, 2020 by JackThompson

[baboon]

48 minutes ago, JackThompson said:

That is not the reason.  The reason, is that those paying don't want to pay a decent wage, which is WHY Thais don't do 'those jobs' any more. 

 

Thais do those Very Same Jobs in other countries, like South Korea, where pay is higher.  Many in my village in Issan have to work overseas - doing the Same Jobs the immigrants do here - because of this.  Most valuable things they own are from this foreign-work.  They "work in the fields," too - just not as cheeply has the imported workers.

 

It's the exact same phenomenon, with the same lying-excuse, that happens in my passport-country.  We worked "those jobs" right up until we were Replaced - coincident with 60% pay-reductions.   But somehow, on the TV, our experiences being replaced, were never reported.  The country/world was told we "didn't want to do those jobs" - which was a blatant lie.

 

The next excuse, is that prices would skyrocket if the labor-costs increased.  "How many baht per sq-meter?" I ask, to allow Thais to work in their own country?  How much would an increase in labor-costs add to the retail price  of a 30M-Baht+ condo?  If it is like manufacturing, less than 1% - but would expand the Thai middle class many-fold, greatly improving the overall state of the economy and country.

Indeed. 'There are no jobs the locals won't do, just wages they won't work for.'