From Monday, restaurants, cafes, cinemas and other public places in Korea will ask for proof of vaccination or a negative test for entry, as South Korea brings back stricter social distancing rules in the face of growing daily cases and the new omicron variant.
This means foreign nationals vaccinated overseas are highly likely to be denied access to such venues.
Currently, the country’s vaccination verification system, the Health Ministry-run mobile app COOV, does not recognize foreigners who have been fully vaccinated overseas and entered Korea without a quarantine exemption. South Koreans in a similar situation, however, easily get the exemption and are able to use the COOV app.
There is no data available on the number of foreign residents who are considered “unvaccinated” here despite having been fully inoculated overseas. The Korea Herald talked to four among them.
James Jensen, 27, software engineer
Software engineer James Jensen, 27, who was fully vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine in the US, is not sure whether he can get a booster shot in Korea.
“My bigger concern is that it’s now been over six months since my second shot and I’m coming up on time for a booster shot, but I‘m not sure that I can be given a booster shot here, since Korea doesn’t think I‘m vaccinated.
”It’s hard to find clear guidance on what I should do, but I‘ve read references to the booster being a different dosage than the first or second doses — so I’m hesitant to try and get another first dose instead.“
Though he has so far not had many experiences being denied entry at venues, he fears things will only get worse.
”I was only once denied entry to a bar back when groups of more than two had to be majority vaccinated, because I was in a group of three where one other had only just gotten their second dose. As this gets more organized I assume I‘ll be denied more places.“
With more cases of the omicron variant found in the country, the government is taking caution and will “later consider” recognizing more foreign vaccination certificates such as those carried by foreign nationals, according to an official of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on Sunday.
Explaining the delay for foreign vaccine certificates carried by foreign nationals, the KDCA official explained verification remains a challenge.
Alissa, 26, graduate student
The rationale behind the delay makes little sense to Alissa, a 26-year-old graduate student, who received double doses …….
Source: http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20211205000172