Some 1,000 LNY travelers affected by South Korea’s Hong Kong entry curbs

Around 1,000 travelers heading to South Korea during the Lunar New Year holidays will be affected by the latest entry curb, which saw flights from Hong Kong only allowed to land at Incheon International Airport from yesterday, said Fanny Yeung Shuk-fan, Executive Director of the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong.

The flight restriction came after China suspended issuing short-term visas for South Korean and Japanese visitors in a spat over the two countries' Covid restrictions on Chinese visitors.

The Korean consulate general in Hong Kong said all arrivals from the two SARs must enter South Korea via Incheon - the main airport for Seoul - until February 28.

Those travelers are restricted from taking domestic flights at Incheon and must seek other transportation if going to other cities such as Busan and Jeju.

Speaking on a radio program on Wednesday, Yeung said she estimated that around 1,000 travelers heading to the country during the Lunar New Year will be affected by the entry curb, with 40 percent of them being members of tour groups.

She said over 30 tour groups could be affected if the entry curb continued until end-November.

Yeung also said airliners have yet to cancel flights in view of the entry curb, and she hoped that the restrictions would be lifted in days after the SAR government engaged with authorities in Korea.
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