Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
Korea issues travel ban for Myanmar's Rakhine state
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued new travel restrictions on Myanmar. Courtesy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs
By Jung Min-ho
By Jung Min-ho
The Korean government has issued the highest-level travel restriction to ban its citizens from visiting the western region of Myanmar.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday that it issued a black warning to Koreans who are staying in or planning to travel to the northern area of Rakhine State that borders Bangladesh.
It also issued a yellow warning (the third-highest alert of its four-tier travel warning system) against traveling to much of Kachin and Shan states in the north.
The ministry said it made the decision following growing armed conflicts in the country.
The new restrictions are expected to hamper Myanmar's effort to attract visitors from Korea. Last October, Myanmar started granting visa-free entry to Korean tourists.
“We will keep a watchful eye on Myanmar's political and security situations in order to check whether further travel restrictions are necessary,” the ministry said.