Bahk Eun-ji has been with The Korea Times since 2012, building a career across multiple desks. She began at the Business Desk, where she conducted in-depth interviews with key figures in Korea's corporate world. Later, she moved to the Politics & City Desk, focusing on education policy and social affairs. She later served as team leader of the digital content team, leading curation efforts on the newspaper’s homepage and reshaping print stories for social media audiences to enhance digital reach. Now back on the Politics Desk, she covers the National Assembly and the Ministry of National Defense, with a renewed focus on political developments.
Many foreign residents still face mandatory COVID-19 tests
Foreign workers at Hanam Industrial Complex in in the southwestern city of Gwangju undergo COVID-19 tests at a temporary screening center in this March 15 photo. Yonhap
By Bahk Eun-ji
By Bahk Eun-ji
Foreign residents in many regions across the country are still subject to mandatory COVID-19 testing despite the state human rights watchdog's recommendation that local governments rescind their orders due to their discriminatory nature.
Earlier this month, some local governments, including Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, issued administrative orders mandating coronavirus testing among all foreign workers in their jurisdictions, amid spikes in infections in the areas and at workplaces with a large number of foreign nationals. However, it drew a huge backlash from the foreign community, and Seoul has revised its order down to an advisory.
However, the recommendation by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) is not being accepted anywhere other than in Seoul.
According to a foreign national, identified as Caleb, who teaches at a Gwangju-based university, his school still told him last week to take the coronavirus test, even though he has been teaching virtually.
“The requirement is frustrating. Not only did I feel targeted as a foreigner living in Korea, although I am a permanent resident and came to Korea in 2008, but the requirement made no sense, as I am not in a high-risk category when I teach at home,” Caleb said.
He said the number of COVID-19 cases in Gwangju has remained in single digits for weeks, but the city is still requiring foreigners to get tested.
“What justification was there, other than two clusters in factories 300 kilometers away, for the Gwangju mayor and health authorities to tell non-Koreans to get tested? It was a clearly discriminatory policy, and so far the test results have shown a tiny number of positive tests out of thousands and thousands who were inconvenienced,” he said.
Caleb said it is a shameful situation as the NHRCK recommendation further highlights that the Gwangju municipality is simply following other municipalities and not fully considering local circumstances.
On Monday, the NHRCK recommended local governments and the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters to establish and implement non-discriminatory quarantine policies.
The recommendation came after orders made by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Gyeonggi Provincial Government earlier this month received a strong backlash from foreign residents here.
Foreigners and Koreans waiting in line at a coronavirus testing center in the southern Seoul ward of Guro with a high population of foreigners, in this March 19 photo. Yonhap
The human rights watchdog also advised against Gyeonggi provincial government's other order, requiring employers to have all foreigners they plan to hire undergo polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing for COVID-19 before hiring and employ only those who test negative. This plan was dropped, although the mandatory testing for all foreigners employed in the province remained.
Following the protests, Seoul City changed its order to an “advisory” last week, applicable for foreign workers at workplaces with have a high risk of infection to be tested by the end of the month.
However, some local governments have been still pushing ahead with their policies to mandate for all foreign workers to submit themselves for COVID-19 testing.
An American who works as an English teacher at a public school in South Jeolla Province said the provincial education office instructed him to get tested after confirming the testing order with the provincial government.
“If all teachers were required we wouldn't complain, and the issue for many of us is that there was no outbreak in South Jeolla among foreigners at that time. If we didn't test there was is a fine of 3 million won ($2,650),” he said.
He also said many of his friends and colleagues residing there filed complaints with the NHRCK, and are awaiting a response to their complaints.
A foreign resident living in Daegu, North Gyeongsang Province, said his company also told him on Wednesday that he must take the test between Monday and Friday.
He stated “My biggest concern is that I must have a test done, even though I am not sick and have not been any place someone has tested positive. I must get it done thus possibly exposing myself to the coronavirus by being around people who might have it.”
In response to the backlash from foreign residents, the South Jeolla provincial government said there was a lack of understanding of its policy mandating foreigners to take the COVID-19 test. It ordered all foreign workers to take the test from March 10 to 31.
“We certainly do not think the program is discriminatory as it is for the sake of all residents' safety. We don't segregate foreign residents at all,” said the head of the office's infectious disease control department.
“The situation is the Seoul metropolitan area and local provinces are fairly different. There are 25,000 foreign residents including undocumented workers who have taken the test so far. Most of them are working at farms and fisheries. We have been trying to protect them from infection, so hopefully they don't think it is discriminatory,” he said.
According to Reuters, of 24,700 foreign workers in South Jeolla Province tested as of March 23, only one had tested positive.