Longtime expat, photographer, and thinker Michael Hurt discusses issues of George Floyd, racism in Korea and America, and the new visa re-entry restrictions.

• George Floyd and #BlackLivesMatter in Korea
• Korea’s Record with Foreigners During COVID-19
  • Minor restaurant discrimination
  • Mask-gate
  • Emergency Alerts for foreigners
  • Financial assistance
  • Itaewon
  • Removing “Alien” from Alien Registration
  • Nullifying Short-term Visas
  • New Re-entry Requirements
    • “The rule applies to foreigners with family in the country and permanent residents, while excluding holders of A-1 diplomatic, A-2 official, A-3 treaties and F-4 overseas Korean visas.”
      • Why not Permanent Residents? Why are F-4 exempt?
      • So an F-4 that later got Permanent Residency isn’t exempt?
    • Must get a permit from Immigration before leaving
      • Will start an online system at the end of the month
    • Hard part: Must get a medical examination 48 hours from returning to Korea in ENGLISH OR KOREAN!!!!
      • Good luck, people visiting non-English-or-Korean-speaking countries
        • Or countries where it’s hard to get tested
      • Issuing medical institutes must be recognized by local Korean embassies or consulates. (How to find this out?)
      • From Q&A (HWP file on Immigration website)
        • Any medical practitioner holding a practising certificate or license may conduct the medical examination and provide the medical certificate(written diagnosis); and there is no particular format required.
        • Medical certificates must be issued in either Korean or English. However, under exceptional circumstances, a written diagnosis, not originally issued in languages other than English or Korean, can be accepted when submitted with a full English or Korean translation and “Certificate of Translation”; no notary is required.
        • To find out the form of Certificate of Translation, please visit our website www.hikorea.go.kr.
    • Foreigners who have an Isolation Exemption Certificate issued by a Korean Embassy or Consulate are exempt
    • However, if the applicant will be re-entering within 3 weeks from the date of departure for the purpose of business·investment, academic·research, or journalism, he or she can apply for the issuance of ‘Medical Examination Exemption Certificate’.

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