China halts travel visa service for S.Koreans in protest of Covid curbs

Seoul, Jan 10 (IANS) The Chinese Embassy in Seoul on Tuesday announced the suspension of its short-term visa service for South Koreans in retaliation against the country's regulations travellers from the neighbouring country in the wake of the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak.

In a post on its WeChat account, the Embassy said the decision was an "instruction" from Beijing, reports Yonhap News Agency.

China plans to "adjust" the measure in accordance with the situation in which South Korea cancels its "discriminatory entry restrictions against China", the mission added.

On January 2, South Korea made it mandatory for all arrivals from China to undergo a PCR test within the first day of their entry into the country.

Those who test positive for the virus must be quarantined for one week.

South Korea has also made it mandatory for those from Hong Kong and Macao to take a PCR or an antigen test before boarding their flights.