By Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporter
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon suggested the Korean government lift its entry ban on foreigners with HIV/AIDS.
He made the request when he met Korean Health, Welfare and Family Affairs Minister Jeon Jae-hee on the sidelines of a session of the World Health Organization in Geneva, last month, according to the ministry, Friday.
Currently, Korean immigration authorities require E-2 visa applicants for foreign language teaching as well as E-6 visa applicants for entertainers and sports players to submit documents on HIV tests.
Some foreign teachers here are opposing the Korean immigration policy and Gong-Gam, a group of human rights lawyers, plan to file a petition soon with the Constitutional Court on behalf for them. In February, a foreign teachers' group filed complaints with the National Human Rights Commission of Korea, claiming the visa regulations were based on prejudice and bias against foreign English teachers.
According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are 13 countries that restrict entry of foreigners with HIV/AIDS in the world; the Arab Emirates, Brunei, Egypt, Iraq, South Korea, Malaysia, Oman, Singapore, Sudan, Yemen, Tunisia, Turks and Caicos Islands and Qatar.
kswho@koreatimes.co.kr
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