The government has temporarily suspended more than 81,000 visas issued by its consulate in Wuhan during the past 10 days.
South Korea imposed entry restrictions for foreigners from the Chinese city and its surrounding areas on February 4 as concerns grew over the possible spread of the new coronavirus into the country through air and sea passengers.
Seoul's justice ministry said today holders of the visas were denied entry here since February 4 while over 94 percent of the suspended visas were short-term visas issued mainly for tourists.
It added following the entry ban, a total of 9,520 people have not been allowed to board flights bound for South Korea through a prior verification system and monitoring by airlines.
Meanwhile, no foreigner has entered the southernmost island of Jeju without a visa since a temporary suspension of a visa-free program for Chinese visitors was implemented along with the entry ban for non-Korean travelers.■
<Photo: Yonhap News>
