Foreign nationals staying illegally in Korea in March 2020 wait in line at the southern Seoul office of the Korea Immigration Service to report their voluntarily departure from the country. (Yonhap News)

By Kim Eun-young and Lee Jihae

The Ministry of Justice has offered exemption from fines and suspension of regulations on entry into the country as incentives for foreign nationals staying illegally in the country to get them fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Thus such people can avoid fines and have regulations on entry into the country suspended if they get their third vaccine shot by April and voluntarily leave the country by October. The exemptions do not apply to those convicted of a crime or not fully vaccinated or violators of quarantine measures.

Those who get their second shots by next month and voluntarily leave the country by April will also receive the same benefits. They must receive vaccination certificates via either the e-certification app Coov or a paper version, and submit them to an immigration institution or file a report in advance to the Hi Korea website (https://www.hikorea.go.kr).

If caught by immigration, foreign nationals staying in the nation illegally face fines of up to KRW 30 million or an entry ban of up to 10 years.

The government said that as of November last year, the estimated number of foreign nationals staying illegally reached 390,000. As of Jan. 24, 89.9% of them had their first vaccine shots, 87.5% their second and just 36.1% their third.

The ministry said in a statement, "To prevent the spread of COVID-19, we will boost the vaccination rate of foreign nationals and promote compliance with quarantine rules as part of continued efforts to protect public safety and lives."

eykim86@korea.kr