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공지 Checklist for foreigners entering Korea

Checklist for Foreigners travelling to the Republic of Korea

For all foreigners who wish to travel to Korea short or long term, please read the below information regarding entry and Covid19 regulations.  Currently there are no PCR test or quarantine requirements for people entering Korea  including unvaccinated people. However, you may be subject to a 7-day quarantine or restriction of movement if you are tested positive/diagnosed COVID during your stay in Korea, as accordance with the Korean health rules.  ​

​ 1.  T here are no Covid 19 requirements at present for entry to Korea:  Pre-departure Negative PCR test certificate  and Mandatory 7 day entry quarantine are  NOT  required. 

※ For those who are flying into Korea from China, please check the Korean Embassy in China website for Covid requirements. 

2. (Mandatory) K-ETA or Valid Visa

o From April 2022 , nationals of visa waiver countries or designated visa-free countries must obtain K-ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization) before entering The Republic of Korea. Please visit  this link  for more information.

​For entry to Korea, all foreigners must have a K-ETA or a valid visa to enter Korea. The K-ETA process will take around 72 hours and the result will be sent to your email address directly. Please have the printed hard copy ready.

Irish nationals are eligible to enter and stay in Korea for up to 90 days with a K-ETA for tourist purpose.

​※You do not need a K-ETA if you have a valid visa to enter Korea.  

※ The Embassy can not solve or answer K-ETA related questions. Please inquire the K-ETA Q&A page.    

​3. (Recommended) Q-code system

Using the Q-code system  is recommended for all people entering Korea to upload their health condition before their entry to Korea for a easier and faster entry. It can be all done online within 15 minutes. If you are unable to do so online before entry to Korea, you will have to manually insert the information after you land in Korea. 

4. After-entry Covid test will not be required from 1st of October. 

Day 1 PCR test will not be mandatory from people entering Korea from the 1st of October. Korean and foreigners who wish to get a Covid test, may visit the Public Health center of their resident area to get a test free of charge. 

• 관련 링크 Q-Code Information https://cov19ent.kdca.go.kr/cpassportal/biz/beffatstmnt/QuarantineMeasuresByType.do

South Korea Travel Restrictions

Traveler's COVID-19 vaccination status

Traveling from the United States to South Korea

Open for vaccinated visitors

COVID-19 testing

Not required

Not required for vaccinated visitors

Restaurants

Not required in public spaces and public transportation.

South Korea entry details and exceptions

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Can I travel to South Korea from the United States?

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter South Korea.

Can I travel to South Korea if I am vaccinated?

Fully vaccinated visitors from the United States can enter South Korea without restrictions.

Can I travel to South Korea without being vaccinated?

Unvaccinated visitors from the United States can enter South Korea without restrictions.

Do I need a COVID test to enter South Korea?

Visitors from the United States are not required to present a negative COVID-19 PCR test or antigen result upon entering South Korea.

Can I travel to South Korea without quarantine?

Travelers from the United States are not required to quarantine.

Do I need to wear a mask in South Korea?

Mask usage in South Korea is not required in public spaces and public transportation.

Are the restaurants and bars open in South Korea?

Restaurants in South Korea are open. Bars in South Korea are .

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Arrival testing rules change for short-term visitors to Korea

Foreigners wait to get tested for the coronavirus at a testing site in Incheon International Airport on Wednesday. [YONHAP]

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(LEAD) S. Korea to lift pre-travel COVID-19 test requirement for inbound travelers this week

(ATTN: UDPATES story with latest COVID-19 tally; ADDS more quotes and details from gov't briefing)

SEOUL, Aug. 31 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will lift its current pre-travel COVID-19 test requirement for inbound travelers later this week, an official said Wednesday, as the government believes the recent virus wave has passed its peak and the spread of omicron could slow down.

The new rule that will take effect Saturday came after a state infectious disease advisory committee recommended the government lift the mandatory pre-travel polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for inbound travelers.

"All inbound travelers, whether our nationals or foreigners, arriving aboard a plane or ship will not need to hand in a negative PCR test starting midnight of Sept. 3," Second Vice Health Minister Lee Ki-il said in a virus response meeting.

Currently, inbound travelers are required to show a negative result within 48 hours of their PCR tests or within 24 hours of their rapid antigen tests to enter the country.

Inbound travelers from abroad stand in line to take coronavirus tests at a testing station at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on Aug. 30, 2022. (Yonhap)

Critics and the travel industry have called for the requirements to be scrapped, citing low efficiency of the tests that often lack accuracy and cost burdens for individual travelers. They also cited other countries that have removed the test mandate.

Travelers, however, still need to take a PCR test within the first 24 hours of their arrival in South Korea, a "minimum measure" put in place to prevent the inflow and spread of any variant from overseas, the vice minister said.

The government said it plans to introduce the retooled COVID-19 vaccines known to be more effective for the BA.5 omicron variant, the dominant strain in the current virus wave, in the fourth quarter of this year.

Those aged 60 and over, or with underlying health conditions, will be prioritized for inoculation.

Authorities will also start allowing the inoculation of SKYCovione vaccines, developed by SK Bioscience, from next month.

On Wednesday, South Korea reported 103,961 new COVID-19 infections, including 458 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 23,246,398, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.

The latest daily tally is down from Tuesday's 115,638. Health authorities and experts said the recent virus wave has passed its peak, and they expect to see a gradual slowdown of the omicron spread for some time.

The country added 75 COVID-19 deaths, putting the death toll at 26,764.

The number of critically ill patients stood at 569, down 22 from the previous day, the KDCA said.

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South Korea to lift quarantine mandate and COVID test recommendation for travelers

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South Korea will drop its COVID-19 quarantine requirements and end coronavirus testing recommendations for international arrivals starting next month after the World Health Organization declared the end of the global health emergency .

In lowering the coronavirus alert level from “critical” to just “alert” starting June 1, health authorities will also lift mask mandates in pharmacies and small clinics but will continue require mask-wearing in large hospitals, long-term care facilities and other medical venues with high infection risks.

The decision was announced during a meeting attended by President Yoon Suk-yeol, at which he thanked the country’s medical workers and said it was “delightful that people are getting their normal lives back after 3½ years.”

He said his government would take steps to improve the country’s capacity to deal with future pandemics, including providing stronger support for vaccine development and expanding international cooperation.

South Korea has been requiring seven-day quarantines for coronavirus carriers. While the mandate will be lifted starting June 1, health officials will continue to recommend that people isolate for five days if they test positive for the virus, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Travelers had been advised to take PCR tests within three days after arriving in the country, but that recommendation will also be lifted.

Youngmee Jee, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s commissioner, downplayed worries that virus measures were being loosened too quickly, saying that the country’s COVID-19 situation was stabilizing, partially because of high vaccination rates and immunity gained through infections during previous waves of the virus .

Editorial: The COVID-19 pandemic emergency is over, but virus is still here

It’s appropriate for the government to move out of the emergency response phase. But we must continue to be vigilant because the coronavirus that has killed millions over the last three years is still with us.

May 11, 2023

The fatality rate of COVID-19, after a steady decline, is now at a similar level with influenza, and there are enough medical resources to deal with a modest rise in infections, with about half of the country’s 700 hospital beds designated to treat serious cases currently vacant, Jee said.

She said officials would maintain preventive measures to protect vulnerable groups, including older people and people with medical conditions, and continue financial support to lower the costs of tests and hospitalizations for virus carriers.

“The risk of COVID-19 is not yet over, but considering the decline in cases, improved medical response capacities and high levels of immunity, we have reached a point where we need to step out of an international emergency state and transition toward a long-term management phase ,” Jee said during a briefing.

The announcement came as health workers reported 20,574 new COVID-19 cases in South Korea on Thursday, which represented a slight increase from last week’s level. Lee Sang-won, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s chief of epidemiological investigations, said the pace of the country’s coronavirus infections has moderately increased in recent weeks because of the spread of XBB, a new Omicron variant. He said it was unlikely that the spread would develop into another huge wave of the virus.

World & Nation

South Korea drops vaccination proof for indoor spaces despite Omicron surge

The elimination of proof of vaccination for entry to indoor spaces comes as South Korea sets a new one-day record for COVID-19 deaths.

Feb. 28, 2022

There are concerns that the lifting of the quarantine mandate will result in people showing up to work when sick , considering the country’s notoriously harsh work culture.

Lim Sook-young, another the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency official, said the government, for the time being, would continue to provide subsidies to COVID-19 patients in low-income brackets and to small companies when they offer paid leave to sick employees, so that infected people can be encouraged to isolate and recover.

She said government agencies were debating further plans to “institutionalize a culture of resting when sick,” including pushing employers to establish consistent guidelines over paid and sick leave and provide employees expanded options for working at home.

South Korea had maintained a stringent COVID-19 response based on aggressive testing, contact-tracing and quarantines during the earlier part of the pandemic, but has eased most of its virus controls since last year as the Omicron variant’s surge rendered those containment strategies irrelevant.

The WHO declared an end to the COVID-19 emergency last week, though Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted that the viral disease remained a global health threat.

More to Read

US to lift most federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates next week

May 1, 2023

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April 26, 2023

U.S. to relax COVID testing rules for travelers from China as early as Friday

March 8, 2023

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• Passports, travel and living abroad
• Travel abroad
• Foreign travel advice

South Korea

Entry requirements.

This advice reflects the UK government’s understanding of current rules for people travelling on a full ‘British citizen’ passport from the UK, for the most common types of travel.

The authorities in South Korea set and enforce entry rules. If you’re not sure how these requirements apply to you, contact the South Korean Embassy in the UK .

COVID-19 rules

There are no COVID-19 testing or vaccination requirements for travellers entering South Korea.

Passport validity requirements

If you are visiting as a tourist for up to 90 days, your passport must have an ‘expiry date’ after the date you are leaving South Korea.

If you are entering South Korea on a long-term visa, your passport should have an ‘expiry date’ at least 6 months after the date you arrive.

Check with your travel provider that your passport and other travel documents meet requirements. Renew your passport if you need to.

You will be denied entry if you do not have a valid travel document or try to use a passport that has been reported lost or stolen.

Visa requirements

You do not need a visa to visit South Korea as a tourist for up to 90 days. You must have an onward or return ticket. It’s illegal to work on a tourist visa, whether as a teacher or in any other capacity.

If you are travelling for any purpose other than short-term business or tourism, check visa requirements with the South Korean Embassy in the UK .

For those in South Korea on a work visa, all employment changes must be authorised by Korean Immigration.

Re-entry permits for long-term visa holders

Most foreign nationals in South Korea on long-term visas are allowed to re-enter South Korea within one year of departure without the need for a re-entry permit. Check with the Korea Immigration Service .

If you are resident and intend to spend more than a year outside of South Korea, in most cases, you must apply for a multiple re-entry permit via the Hi Korea website before departure. If you require a re-entry permit, engage early with the immigration authorities and apply for a re-entry permit at least 4 working days ahead of any planned travel. 

Visas for working as an English teacher

To get a visa to teach English in South Korea, you must have a 3-year university degree. A Teaching English as a Foreign Language ( TEFL ) qualification alone is not enough. If you are found to have a teaching visa by deception, you will be detained and deported.

British nationals teaching English in South Korea have sometimes found living and working conditions to be below their expectation or have had difficulties getting the correct visas and residence permits. Some also report more serious problems such as breach of contract, confiscation of passport, payment being withheld and inadequate insurance.

Check all terms and conditions of your employment carefully. If possible, speak to other teachers from the place where you plan to work before accepting any offer. If you are in South Korea and in need of assistance, you should contact British Embassy in Seoul .

Vaccination requirements

At  least 8 weeks before your trip, check the vaccinations and certificates you need in TravelHealthPro’s South Korea guide .

Customs rules

There are strict rules about goods you can take into or out of South Korea . You must declare anything that may be prohibited or subject to tax or duty.

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South Korea to end pre-departure Covid-19 test requirement for international arrivals

SEOUL (THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - South Korea will end the pre-departure Covid-19 test rule for travellers to the country starting on Saturday (Sept 3), Yonhap news agency reported on Wednesday.

South Korea lifted most of its pandemic-related restrictions in May, but has maintained some of the strictest border measures among major economies, requiring inbound travellers to present a negative coronavirus test result taken before departure.

Daily Covid-19 infections in the country have been hovering around 100,000 in recent weeks after reaching more than 180,000 in mid-August.

The new rule that will take effect on Saturday came after a state infectious disease advisory committee recommended the government lift the mandatory pre-travel polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for inbound travellers.

"All inbound travellers, whether our nationals or foreigners, arriving aboard a plane or ship will not need to hand in a negative PCR test starting midnight of Sept 3," Second Vice-Health Minister Lee Ki-il said in a virus response meeting.

Currently, inbound travellers are required to show a negative result within 48 hours of their PCR tests or within 24 hours of their rapid antigen tests to enter the country.

Critics and the travel industry have called for the requirements to be scrapped, citing low efficiency of the tests that often lack accuracy and cost burdens for individual travellers. They also cited other countries that have removed the test mandate.

Travellers, however, still need to take a PCR test within the first 24 hours of their arrival in South Korea, a "minimum measure" put in place to prevent the inflow and spread of any variant from overseas, Mr Lee said.

The government said it plans to introduce the retooled Covid-19 vaccines known to be more effective for the BA.5 Omicron variant, the dominant strain in the current virus wave, in the fourth quarter of this year.

Those aged 60 and over, or with underlying health conditions, will be prioritised for inoculation.

On Wednesday, South Korea reported 103,961 new Covid-19 infections, including 458 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 23,246,398, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.

The latest daily tally is down from Tuesday's 115,638 cases. Health authorities and experts said the recent virus wave has passed its peak, and they expect to see a gradual slowdown of the Omicron spread for some time.

The country added 75 Covid-19 deaths, putting the death toll at 26,764.

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South Korea (Republic of Korea)

Latest update.

Exercise normal safety precautions in South Korea.

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Local emergency contacts

Fire and rescue services, medical emergencies.

Call 119 or go to the hospital.

Call 112 or go to the nearest police station.

Advice levels

• South Korea and North Korea are technically still at war, and tensions on the Peninsula can increase with little warning. North Korea regularly conducts missile launches and other provocations. Monitor developments. Consider downloading the South Korean Government's 'Emergency Ready' app.
• Civil emergency drills are held a few times a year for fire, earthquakes, other disasters and civil defence training. Nationwide exercises take place at least twice a year. Regional drills may also be run a few times a year. 
• Large-scale public gatherings and protests are common, particularly in Seoul. Protests are generally peaceful and policed but can sometimes turn violent. 
• Avoid large public gatherings if possible, and exercise caution in crowded areas. South Korea remains safe for most travellers, with a relatively low crime rate. However, petty crimes happen, especially in major cities such as Seoul and Busan. Watch your belongings.
• Sexual assault and harassment, drink spiking and other violent crimes occur, particularly around bars and nightlife areas, such as Itaewon and Hongdae. Don't accept food, drink, gum or cigarettes from strangers. Remain vigilant, take care when walking at night, and travel in groups if possible.
• The rainy season is from late June to late August. Typhoons can happen in August and September. Heavy rainfall during summer can cause flooding, landslides, and damage to housing and infrastructure. Identify your local shelter (identified by the word 대피소). Follow the advice of local officials.
• Tsunamis caused by earthquakes in the surrounding region are a risk. Know the tsunami warning signs and move to high ground straight away. Don't wait for official alerts, warnings or sirens.

Full travel advice:  Safety

• There are high levels of pollution, particularly between March to May. During this time, strong winds from Mongolia and China also carry yellow dust to the Korean Peninsula. This can cause eye, nose, mouth, and throat irritations. Get medical advice if you have heart or breathing problems.
• The standard of medical facilities in South Korea is usually good, but few staff speak English. You'll probably have to pay up-front. Ensure your travel insurance covers all medical costs.
• South Korea is popular for medical tourism. If you're travelling for a procedure, research and choose your medical service providers carefully. Don’t use discount or uncertified providers. Ensure your travel insurance covers complications from surgery.

Full travel advice:  Health

• You're required to wear a mask  in hospitals. Fines of KRW100,000 apply. Exceptions for mask-wearing are made for minors under 14 years of age, people with disabilities, or those who have difficulty wearing a face mask for medical reasons.
• Using shared electric kickboards (electric scooters) in South Korea is increasing. A driver's licence is required, and you must wear a helmet while riding. Make sure you have adequate health and liability insurance before riding. 
• It's illegal to work or volunteer in South Korea if it's not specified in your visa. If you plan to work, arrange a work visa through a  South Korean embassy or consulate  before you travel.
• Disputes over working and living conditions for Australians teaching English in South Korea are common. Research your employer and employment agency. Get legal advice before you sign a contract.
• Be careful when taking photos and videos. It's illegal to photograph military zones, assets, personnel, and official buildings.
• South Korea recognises dual nationality only in certain circumstances. If you're a male Australian-South Korean dual national, you may have to do military service before you're permitted to depart. This could happen even if you travel to South Korea on your Australian passport. Get advice through a  South Korean embassy or consulate  before travelling.

Full travel advice:  Local laws

Australian passport holders can visit South Korea as tourists for stays of up to 90 days without applying for a K-ETA (or visa waiver). Previously approved K-ETA applications will remain valid up to the granted expiry date. Visit the official  K-ETA website  for more information.

• You may be required to register on the  Korean Q-code system  prior to arrival or to complete a health questionnaire on arrival. Further information on 'Quarantine Inspection Required Areas' is available on the ' Notices ' page. Check with the South Korean embassy or consulate for the latest requirements for Australians. 
• Entry and exit conditions can change at short notice. You should contact the nearest South Korean embassy or consulate for the latest details.

Full travel advice:  Travel

Local contacts

• The  Consular Services Charter  details what we can and can't do to help you overseas.
• For consular help, contact the  Australian Embassy in Seoul .
• To stay up to date with local information, follow the Embassy’s social media accounts.

Full travel advice:  Local contacts

Full advice

Regional threats.

South Korea and North Korea are technically still at war, and peace is maintained under a truce agreed at the practical end of the Korean War in 1953. Tensions have on the Korean Peninsula can increase with little warning.

The Korean Peninsula is divided by a demilitarised zone (DMZ) separating:

• North Korea or the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
• South Korea or the Republic of Korea

North Korea regularly takes provocative actions, including conducting ballistic missile launches and underground nuclear tests. Low-level military clashes have occurred. 

In the event of such threats in the region:

• monitor developments
• take official warnings seriously
• follow the instructions of local authorities

The South Korean Government has also released a free smartphone ' Emergency Ready ' app. The app has information on local emergency services, including:

• shelter locations

The app is available for both Apple and Android devices.

Authorities control access to Yeonpyeong Island and other islands near the Northern Limit Line. This is due to their proximity to a sea boundary disputed by North Korea.

More information:

• Planning for emergencies

Public Safety

Parts of Seoul, particularly Itaewon and Hongdae, and on public transport, can become extremely crowded. In October 2022, more than 150 people were killed in a crowd crush during Halloween festivities in Itaewon. Exercise caution in crowded areas. 

Civil Emergency Drills

Nationwide civil emergency drills are held regularly throughout the year, with regional or local drills also undertaken. 

Depending on the drill, sirens may sound, transport may stop, and authorities may ask people to take shelter in subway stations or basements. 

Follow the advice of local authorities. The South Korean Government has released a free smartphone 'Emergency Ready' app. The app has information on civil defence drills, including shelters and safety guides.

• Civil Defence Drills

Civil unrest and political tension

Public protests and events that draw large groups of people are common and can sometimes turn violent. Avoid large public gatherings, if possible, and exercise caution in crowded areas.

To protect yourself:

• avoid protests and demonstrations
• monitor the media for information

Be prepared to change your travel plans in case of disruptions.

• Demonstrations and civil unrest

For most travellers, South Korea is safe and has a relatively low crime rate. However, petty crime happens, especially in major cities such as Seoul and Busan.

Sexual assault, drink spiking, and other violent crimes occur, particularly around bars and nightlife areas, such as Itaewon and Hongdae. 

To protect yourself from crime:

• keep your belongings close
• don't accept drinks, food, gum or cigarettes from strangers
• don't leave food or drinks unattended
• remain vigilant and take care when walking at night
• travel in groups if possible

Local authorities may not always respond adequately or consistently to reports of sexual violence and harassment. If you're sexually assaulted, you should report it immediately to the local authorities and the Australian Embassy in Seoul. 

In general, sex-related crimes are not punished as harshly in South Korea as in Australia, and the prosecution process can be challenging for victims. 

You can report crimes, including sexual assault, to the police by calling 112. This is a 24/7 service with English interpreters available. 

• Partying safely

Cyber security 

You may be at risk of cyber-based threats during overseas travel to any country. Digital identity theft is a growing concern. Your devices and personal data can be compromised, especially if you’re connecting to Wi-Fi, using or connecting to shared or public computers or to Bluetooth.

Social media can also be risky in destinations where there are social or political tensions, or laws that may seem unreasonable by Australian standards. Travellers have been arrested for things they have said on social media. Don't comment on local or political events on your social media.

More information: 

Cyber security when travelling overseas

Terrorism is a threat worldwide. Although there is no recent history of terrorism in South Korea, attacks can't be ruled out. 

You should be aware of the global risk of indiscriminate terrorist attacks, which could be in public areas, including those visited by foreigners.  

• Terrorist threats

Climate and natural disasters

South Korea experiences  natural disasters  and  severe weather , including:

• flooding and landslides
• earthquakes

Get familiar with the advice of local authorities on preparing for a natural disaster or other emergency.

If there's a natural disaster:

• know your accommodation's evacuation plans
• secure your passport in a safe, waterproof location
• follow the advice of local authorities
• closely monitor the media
• keep in touch with friends and family

Register with the  Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System  to receive alerts on major disasters.

Typhoons and severe weather

The monsoon season is usually from late June to late August.

Excessive rainfall during summer can cause severe flooding and landslides and damage to housing and infrastructure. Flash flooding can occur.

The typhoon season is usually during the period August to September. 

If there's a typhoon approaching, stay inside. The direction and strength of typhoons can change with little warning.

Identify your closest local shelter if required and follow the directions of local authorities. 

Severe weather may also affect:

• access to ports
• road travel and transport
• essential services, such as water and power

If there's a typhoon or severe storm:

• exercise caution
• stay away from affected areas
• you may get stuck in the area
• flights could be delayed or suspended

Monitor weather forecasts and follow instructions of local authorities.

Check with tour operators before travelling to affected areas.

Contact your airline for the latest flight information.

• Korean Meteorological Administration
• Severe Weather Information Centre
• Special weather report – KMA
• Real-time disaster alert – National Disaster and Safety Portal

Earthquakes and tsunamis

Earthquake activity happens on the Korean Peninsula, though less than in Japan and other countries in the region.

Tsunamis are also a risk.

Large earthquakes, which predominantly tend to occur in neighbouring countries, can cause destructive tsunamis that may affect the Korean Peninsula. If you are in a coastal region after a major earthquake, move to higher ground immediately.

• Pacific Warning Center
• Korea Meteorological Administration

Travel insurance

Get comprehensive  travel insurance  before you leave.

Your policy needs to cover all overseas medical costs, including medical evacuation. The Australian Government won't pay for these costs.

If you can't afford travel insurance, you can't afford to travel. This applies to everyone, no matter how healthy and fit you are.

If you're not insured, you may have to pay many thousands of dollars up-front for medical care.

• what activities and care your policy covers
• that your insurance covers you for the whole time you'll be away

Physical and mental health

Consider your physical and mental health before you travel, especially if you have an existing medical condition. Treatment for mental health is not widely available in South Korea and is not comparable to services in Australia. There are very few hospitals that have mental health or psychiatric wards attached, and of those available, many will not accept foreigners. 

Admission to a mental health or psychiatric ward usually requires proof of a prior mental health diagnosis. Many facilities are reluctant to admit foreigners. For involuntary admissions, 2 family members present in Korea will be required to sign consent. 

See your doctor or travel clinic to:

• have a basic health check-up
• ask if your travel plans may affect your health
• plan any vaccinations you need

Do this at least 8 weeks before you leave.

If you have immediate concerns for your welfare, or the welfare of another Australian, call the 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on +61 2 6261 3305 or contact your  nearest Australian Embassy, High Commission or Consulate  to discuss counselling hotlines and services available in your location.

• General health advice
• Healthy holiday tips  (Healthdirect Australia)

Medications

If you plan to travel with medication, check if it's legal in  South Korea . Not all medications available over the counter or by prescription in Australia are available in Korean pharmacies. Some medications may even be considered illegal or a controlled substance in South Korea, even if prescribed by an Australian doctor. 

Before you travel:

• contact the South Korean  Ministry of Food and Drug Safety  or email  [email protected]  to check whether your medication is a controlled or illegal substance in South Korea
• Check with the  Korea Customs Service  for information on restricted or prohibited items that may not be brought into the country
• ask your doctor about alternative medicines

You may need to apply for a 'bring in' permit. When applying, provide the generic name of the medication, as the brand name in South Korea may be different in Australia.

It may take authorities more than 2 weeks to process your application.

Take enough medications for your trip.

Carry a copy of your prescription or a letter from your doctor stating:

• what the medication is
• your required dosage
• that it's for personal use

Health risks

Insect-borne diseases.

Malaria  is a risk in:

• the demilitarised zone at the border between South and North Korea
• rural areas in the northern parts of Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces

Japanese encephalitis  also occurs throughout the Korean countryside.

To protect yourself from disease:

• make sure your accommodation is insect-proof
• use insect repellent
• wear long, loose, light-coloured clothing
• get vaccinated against Japanese encephalitis before you travel
• consider taking medicine to prevent malaria

Other health risks

Waterborne, foodborne, and other  infectious diseases  occur, including:

• tuberculosis

If you test positive for COVID-19 while in South Korea, you may need to follow local isolation guidelines.

Use normal hygiene precautions, including:

• careful and frequent hand washing
• boil tap water before drinking or cooking
• avoid uncooked and undercooked food
• seek medical advice if you have a fever or are suffering from diarrhoea

Hand, foot and mouth disease

Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD)  is common.

Serious outbreaks sometimes occur.

Outbreaks usually start in March and peak in May but can continue until October each year.

The disease mostly affects children aged under 10 years. Adult cases, especially in young adults, are not unusual.

When outside major cities:

• drink boiled water, filtered water or bottled water with sealed lids
• avoid ice cubes
• avoid uncooked and undercooked food, such as salads

Get medical advice if you have a fever or diarrhoea.

Yellow dust

Yellow dust is carried to the Korean Peninsula by strong winds from Mongolia and China from March to May. High levels of airborne pollution occur during this time.

The dust can:

• cause eye, nose, mouth and throat irritations
• make breathing and heart problems worse

If you're concerned about the effects of dust, speak to your doctor before leaving Australia. 

Get medical advice if you have allergies or respiratory difficulties.

Medical facilities

The standard of medical facilities in South Korea is usually good, but few staff speak English.

Medical services can be expensive. Hospitals usually require an up-front deposit or confirmation of insurance before they'll treat you.

You can request ambulance and emergency medical assistance by calling 119. This is a 24/7 service with English interpreters available.

• Medical tourism

South Korea is a popular destination for medical tourism.

• research and choose your medical service providers carefully
• avoid discounted or uncertified medical service providers

Check whether your travel insurance covers you if things go wrong with your surgery. Most insurers don't.

You're subject to all local laws and penalties, including those that may appear harsh by Australian standards. Research local laws before travelling.

You're required to wear a mask  in hospitals. Fines of KRW100,000 apply. Exceptions for mask-wearing are made for minors under 14 years of age, people with disabilities, or those who may have difficulty wearing a face mask for medical reasons.

The use of electric kickboard (electric scooter) rentals in South Korea is increasing. You must be 16 years or older to ride an electric scooter. Riders must have a driver's licence, wear a helmet, and use bicycle paths or, if there are no bicycle paths, car lanes while adhering to road traffic rules. Fines can apply for riding while inebriated, failing to wear helmets, or exceeding passenger limits. 

If you're arrested or jailed, the Australian Government will do what it can to help you under our  Consular Services Charter . But we can't get you out of trouble or out of jail.

Don't carry or consume illegal drugs.

Penalties for possession, use or trafficking of illegal drugs include:

• long jail sentences
• heavy fines
• deportation
• Carrying or using drugs

It's illegal to work in South Korea if it's not specified in your visa. This includes paid and unpaid work.

Authorities have fined, detained and deported Australians for breaching their visa conditions.

It's difficult to change your visa type once you're in South Korea.

If you plan to work, arrange a work visa through a South Korean embassy or consulate before you travel.

Disputes over expected working and living conditions for Australians teaching English in South Korea are common.

Some Australians planning to teach English have faced penalties after they or their employment agent gave false documents to Korean immigration authorities.

If you're employed without the right visa, your options will be limited under Korean law.

If you're considering teaching English in South Korea:

• research your employer and employment agent
• consider getting legal advice before you sign a contract
• make sure your visa application is truthful and accurate

Serious crimes, such as murder, may attract the death penalty.

It's illegal to take photos of and around:

• military zones, assets or personnel
• official buildings

South Korea has strict anti-corruption laws for public officials. Public officials and their spouses can't accept meals, gifts or other benefits above set limits.

'Public officials' include:

• journalists
• employees of government-owned or funded companies

Get legal advice to make sure you don't breach these laws.

If you're involved in a commercial or legal dispute, authorities can stop you from leaving until the dispute is resolved.

Australian laws

Some Australian criminal laws still apply when you're overseas. If you break these laws, you may face prosecution in Australia.

• Staying within the law

Dual citizenship

South Korea  recognises dual nationality only in certain circumstances.

It's possible that by applying for Australian Citizenship by Descent or by Conferral, you may lose your Korean citizenship.

There are some differences between the Australian and Korean citizenship requirements. This has caused some difficulties, particularly for children born in South Korea to South Korean and Australian parents. Expectant parents should make themselves aware of these differences and contact the Australian and South Korean immigration authorities in advance of giving birth.

If you've been arrested or detained and have Korean citizenship, we may only be able to provide limited consular help.

If you were born in South Korea or have Korean citizenship, you will continue to be a Korean citizen unless you:

• formally renounce it; and
• remove your name from the Korean family register

Military service is compulsory for male citizens of South Korea, including dual nationals.

The South Korean Government may require you to undertake military service if you:

• are male; and
• are listed on the Korean family register

This is the case even if you have travelled to South Korea on your Australian passport.

The Government may not allow you to renounce your Korean nationality or leave the country until you either:

• complete your military service, or
• receive a special exemption from serving

If you're an Australian-South Korean dual national, get advice from a  South Korean embassy or consulate  before you travel.

Contact the Korean Immigration Service for information on Korea’s law on dual citizenship.

• Dual nationals

Visas and border measures

Every country or territory decides who can enter or leave through its borders. For specific information about the evidence you'll need to enter a foreign destination, check with the nearest embassy, consulate or immigration department of the destination you're entering. 

Long-term visa holders residing in South Korea must apply for a re-entry permit before leaving South Korea. If you leave South Korea without a re-entry permit, your Alien Registration Card may be cancelled and you'll need to apply for a new long-term visa to enter. If you hold an A1, A2, A3 or F4 visa, you're exempt from requiring a re-entry permit.

To apply for a re-entry permit, visit a local immigration office, including at an airport or seaport. If you intend to apply at an airport immigration office on your way out of South Korea, ensure you allow sufficient time to complete the required formalities.

Further information about re-entry permits and medical examination requirements is available from the Korean Ministry of Justice .

Entry and exit conditions can change at short notice. Contact the nearest  South Korean embassy or consulate  for details about visas, currency, customs and quarantine rules.

Border measures

If you're travelling to South Korea, you may be required to register your information on the  Korean Q-code registration system  to receive a generated QR code for your arrival or complete a health questionnaire on arrival if you haven't registered online. 

You should also check the  Korean Q-code registration system  prior to travelling to South Korea, as countries listed as 'Quarantine Inspection Required Areas' may change without notice. Further information on 'Quarantine Inspection Required Areas' is available on the ' Notices ' page.

Arriving passengers could be screened for high body temperature and as necessary might be subject to further health questions.

Contact the  South Korean embassy or consulate  in Australia for more information when planning your travel and to confirm requirements.  

Other formalities

You'll be fingerprinted when you arrive.

Passengers arriving at South Korean airports from particular countries could be screened for infectious diseases, including:

• Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV)

Extra quarantine checks are in place for flights from high-risk areas.

Korean Government Agencies

• Korea Disease Control & Prevention Agency (KDCA)
• Ministry of Health and Welfare
• Ministry of Employment and Labor
• Ministry of Education
• Ministry of Gender Equality and Family
• Ministry of the Interior and Safety
• Ministry of Economy and Finance

Some countries won't let you enter unless your passport is valid for 6 months after you plan to leave that country. This can apply even if you're just transiting or stopping over.

Some foreign governments and airlines apply the rule inconsistently. Travellers can receive conflicting advice from different sources.

You can end up stranded if your passport is not valid for more than 6 months.

The Australian Government does not set these rules. Check your passport's expiry date before you travel. If you're not sure it'll be valid for long enough, consider getting  a new passport .

Lost or stolen passport

Your passport is a valuable document. It's attractive to people who may try to use your identity to commit crimes.

Some people may try to trick you into giving them your passport. Always keep it in a safe place.

If your passport is lost or stolen, tell the Australian Government as soon as possible:

• In Australia, contact the  Australian Passport Information Service .
• If you're overseas, contact the nearest  Australian embassy or consulate.

Passport with ‘X’ gender identifier 

Although Australian passports comply with international standards for sex and gender, we can’t guarantee that a passport showing 'X' in the sex field will be accepted for entry or transit by another country. Contact the nearest  embassy, high commission or consulate of your destination  before you arrive at the border to confirm if authorities will accept passports with 'X' gender markers.

• LGBTQIA+ travellers

The local currency is the Korean Won (KRW).

You can change Australian dollars for KRW at local banks and money changers.

On arrival, declare all means of  international payment , including KRW notes, cashier's checks, or foreign currency over $US10,000 or equivalent. 

ATMs are available in cities and larger towns, but these might not accept some foreign debit cards.

Credit cards are usually accepted in hotels, restaurants, shops, and taxis, particularly in cities and larger towns.

Be aware of card skimming. See  Safety

Local travel

Driving permit.

To drive, you'll need either:

• a valid local licence, or
• an International Driver's Permit (IDP) and a valid Australian driver's licence

Get your IDP before your leave Australia.

You need a Korean driver's licence to drive if you intend to stay in South Korea for 90 days or more.

You will need a certified copy of your Australian licence to apply for a Korean driver's licence. 

When issuing you with a Korean driver's licence, the local authorities will normally keep your Australian driver's licence. They will return your Australian licence to you in exchange for your Korean driver's licence before you depart Korea.  

• Safe Driving - KOROAD

Road travel

South Korea has a high rate of traffic deaths, especially for pedestrians.

While the South Korean police have been more strictly reinforcing traffic rules, in recent years, speeding, running red lights, and other risky behaviour are still common, especially by buses, taxis, and motorcyclists.

If you're involved in an accident, whether or not you're at fault, you could face criminal charges. You may need to pay compensation to the injured person.

The blood alcohol limit for drivers is 0.03%. Heavy penalties apply for exceeding the limit. Don't drink and drive.

If you're walking:

• look out for motorcyclists, even on footpaths and pedestrian crossings
• don't expect traffic to stop at pedestrian crossings
• check carefully before stepping onto the road

Before travelling by road, learn local road rules and practices. 

• Driving or riding

Motorcycles

Check if your travel insurance policy covers you when riding a motorbike. Most policies won't cover you if you don't follow local laws or wear a helmet.

Always wear a helmet.

There are restrictions on riding motorcycles on highways and other major roads.

Use only authorised taxis, preferably those arranged through your hotel.

Always insist the driver uses the meter. Most taxis accept credit cards.

Rideshare apps are also available in South Korea. 

International taxi services are available and may have English-speaking drivers.

Public transport

Public transportation (including buses and metropolitan subway networks) in and between major urban areas is good.

Most major transportation systems have signs and make announcements in English.

• Visit Korea
• Transport and getting around safely

Rail travel

South Korea has a large high-speed rail network (KTX).

Stations are usually located in major urban areas. They have signs in English.

They're often linked to local taxi or public transport networks.

Ferry services operate between most large coastal cities and other domestic and international ports.

Busan, Incheon, and Jeju Island are regular stopover locations for cruise ships.

• Going on a cruise
• Travelling by boat

Some airlines and travel providers don't allow you to pay for flights online within South Korea with a foreign credit card.

DFAT doesn't provide information on the safety of individual commercial airlines or flight paths.

Check  South Korea's air safety profile  with the Aviation Safety Network.

Emergencies

Depending on what you need, contact your:

• family and friends
• travel agent
• insurance provider

To report a crime, call 112 or go to the nearest police station. This is a 24/7 service with English interpreters available. 

Always get a police report when you report a crime.

If you have lost any property, visit the  Lost112 website  for more information. 

• Korea Disease Control & Prevention (KDCA)

Consular contacts

Read the  Consular Services Charter  for what the Australian Government can and can't do to help you overseas.

For consular help, contact the Australian Embassy in Seoul.

Australian Embassy, Seoul

19th Floor, Kyobo Building 1, Jong-ro Jongno-gu Seoul 03154, Republic of Korea Phone: (+82 2) 2003 0100 Fax: (+82 2) 2003 0196 Website:  southkorea.embassy.gov.au Facebook:  Australia in the Republic of Korea Instagram:  @AusEmbKor

Check the Embassy website for details about opening hours and any temporary closures. 

24-hour Consular Emergency Centre

In a consular emergency, if you can't contact an embassy, call the 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on:

• +61 2 6261 3305 from overseas
• 1300 555 135 in Australia

Travelling to South Korea?

Sign up to get the latest travel advice updates..

Be the first to know official government advice when travelling.

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South Korea to lift quarantine mandate for COVID-19 and end testing recommendation for travelers

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, center, speaks during a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters about measures to deal with the coronavirus pandemic at the presidential office in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, May 11, 2023. South Korea will drop its COVID-19 quarantine requirements and end testing recommendations for international arrivals starting next month after the World Health Organization declared the end of the global health emergency. (Yonhap via AP)

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, center, applauds to encourage medical workers during a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters about measures to deal with the coronavirus pandemic at the presidential office in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, May 11, 2023. South Korea will drop its COVID-19 quarantine requirements and end testing recommendations for international arrivals starting next month after the World Health Organization declared the end of the global health emergency. (Yonhap via AP)

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SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea will drop its COVID-19 quarantine requirements and end testing recommendations for international arrivals starting next month after the World Health Organization declared the end of the global health emergency.

In lowering the coronavirus alert level from “critical” to plainly “alert” starting June 1, health authorities will also lift mask mandates in pharmacies and small clinics but will continue require mask wearing in large hospitals and long-term care facilities and other medical venues with high infection risks.

The decision was announced during a meeting attended by President Yoon Suk Yeol, where he thanked the country’s medical workers and said it was “delightful that people are getting their normal lives back after three and a half years.”

He said his government will take steps to improve the country’s capacity to deal with future pandemics, including providing stronger support for vaccine developments and expanding international cooperation.

South Korea has been requiring seven-day quarantines for virus carriers. While the mandate will be lifted from June 1, health officials will continue to recommend people to isolate for five days if they test positive for the virus, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Travelers had been advised to take PCR tests within three days after arriving in the country, but that recommendation will also be lifted.

Youngmee Jee, KDCA’s commissioner, downplayed worries that virus measures were being loosened too quickly, saying that the country’s COVID-19 situation was stabilizing, partially because of high vaccination rates and immunity gained through infections during previous waves of the virus.

The fatality rate of COVID-19 after a steady decline is now at a similar level with influenza and there are enough medical resources to deal with a modest rise in infections, with about half of the country’s 700 hospital beds designated to treat serious cases currently vacant, Jee said.

She said officials will maintain preventive measures to protect vulnerable groups, including senior citizens and people with medical conditions, and continue financial support to lower the costs of tests and hospitalizations for virus carriers.

“The risk of COVID-19 is not yet over, but considering the decline in cases, improved medical response capacities and high levels of immunity, we have reached a point where we need to step out of an international emergency state and transition toward a long-term management phase,” Jee said during a briefing.

The announcement came as health workers reported 20,574 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, which represented a slight increase from last week’s level. Lee Sang-won, KDCA’s chief of epidemiological investigations, said the pace of the country’s COVID-19 infections has moderately increased in recent weeks because of the spread of XBB, a new omicron variant. He said it was unlikely that the spread would develop into another huge wave of the virus.

There are concerns that the lifting of the quarantine mandate will result in people showing up to work when sick, considering the country’s notoriously harsh work culture.

Lim Sook-young, another KDCA official, said the government, for the time being, will continue to provide subsidies to COVID-19 patients in low-income brackets and to small companies when they offer paid leave to sick employees, so that infected people could be encouraged to isolate and recover.

She said government agencies were debating further plans to “institutionalize a culture of resting when sick,” including pushing employers to establish consistent guidelines over paid and sick leave and provide employees expanded options for working at home.

South Korea had maintained a stringent COVID-19 response based on aggressive testing, contact tracing and quarantines during the earlier part of the pandemic, but has eased most of its virus controls since last year as the omicron variant’s surge rendered those containment strategies irrelevant.

WHO had declared an end to the COVID-19 emergency last week , though Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted the viral disease remained a global health threat.

South Korea to scrap COVID tests for arrivals in boost for travel

Travellers to the country will no longer be required to present a negative coronavirus test result starting on Saturday.

South Korea will scrap predeparture COVID-19 tests for arrivals, lifting some of the last pandemic-related border controls in a boost to the country’s beleaguered travel industry.

Travellers to the country will no longer be required to present a negative coronavirus test result starting on Saturday, the Yonhap news agency reported on Wednesday.

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The change comes after a government advisory committee recommended ending mandatory predeparture PCR tests for inbound travellers. Travellers will still need to take a PCR test within 24 hours of arriving in the country.

South Korea is among the region’s last economies to hold onto strict border controls, though China, which has an ultra-strict “zero COVID” strategy, Japan and Taiwan continue to impose extensive barriers to travel.

Asian countries including Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia have lifted testing requirements in recent months as the region welcomes back travel after relying heavily on border restrictions earlier in the pandemic.

South Korea lifted quarantine requirements for vaccinated tourists in April and dropped quarantine for all arrivals regardless of vaccination status in July. Tourists have been slow to return, however, with passenger traffic at main gateway Incheon Airport in July reaching less than one-quarter of pre-pandemic levels.

The East Asian country has reported some of the highest numbers of COVID-19 cases in the world in recent weeks despite high vaccination rates and widespread mask-wearing, although the vast majority of infections have been mild.

Daily cases have hovered at about 100,000 since topping 180,000 in mid-August amid the spread of highly transmissible Omicron sub-variants.

South Korea to scrap COVID test on arrival rule for travellers from China

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Reporting by Hyonhee Shin, Soo-hyang Choi in Seoul and Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Stephen Coates

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At least 50 people have died, and more than 100 were injured in Afghanistan in flooding following heavy rain in the northern province of Baghlan on Friday, a spokesman for the Ministry of the Interior said, adding that the death toll may rise.

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Death toll from floods in Brazil hits 126 as rain returns

Rains returned to Rio Grande do Sul on Friday as the death toll from historic floods in Brazil's southernmost state reached 126, according to local authorities, climbing from 113 earlier in the day.

Update May 10, 2024

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South Korea Travel Advisory

Travel advisory july 24, 2023, south korea - level 1: exercise normal precautions.

Reissued with obsolete COVID-19 page links removed.

Exercise normal precautions in South Korea.

Read the  country information page  for additional information on travel to South Korea.

If you decide to travel to South Korea:

• Enroll in the  Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)  to receive Alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.   
• Follow the Department of State on  Facebook  and  Twitter .   
• Review the  Country Security Report  for South Korea.   
• Visit the CDC page for the latest  Travel Health Information  related to your travel.   
• Prepare a contingency plan for emergency situations. Review the  Traveler’s Checklist .    

Travel Advisory Levels

Assistance for u.s. citizens, south korea map, search for travel advisories, external link.

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South Korea Traveler View

Travel health notices, vaccines and medicines, non-vaccine-preventable diseases, stay healthy and safe.

• Packing List

After Your Trip

There are no notices currently in effect for South Korea.

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Check the vaccines and medicines list and visit your doctor at least a month before your trip to get vaccines or medicines you may need. If you or your doctor need help finding a location that provides certain vaccines or medicines, visit the Find a Clinic page.

Routine vaccines

Recommendations.

Make sure you are up-to-date on all routine vaccines before every trip. Some of these vaccines include

• Chickenpox (Varicella)
• Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis
• Flu (influenza)
• Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR)

Immunization schedules

All eligible travelers should be up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines. Please see  Your COVID-19 Vaccination  for more information. 

COVID-19 vaccine

Hepatitis A

Recommended for unvaccinated travelers one year old or older going to South Korea.

Infants 6 to 11 months old should also be vaccinated against Hepatitis A. The dose does not count toward the routine 2-dose series.

Travelers allergic to a vaccine component or who are younger than 6 months should receive a single dose of immune globulin, which provides effective protection for up to 2 months depending on dosage given.

Unvaccinated travelers who are over 40 years old, immunocompromised, or have chronic medical conditions planning to depart to a risk area in less than 2 weeks should get the initial dose of vaccine and at the same appointment receive immune globulin.

Hepatitis A - CDC Yellow Book

Dosing info - Hep A

Hepatitis B

Recommended for unvaccinated travelers younger than 60 years old traveling to South Korea. Unvaccinated travelers 60 years and older may get vaccinated before traveling to South Korea.

Hepatitis B - CDC Yellow Book

Dosing info - Hep B

Japanese Encephalitis

Recommended for travelers who

• Are moving to an area with Japanese encephalitis to live
• Spend long periods of time, such as a month or more, in areas with Japanese encephalitis
• Frequently travel to areas with Japanese encephalitis

Consider vaccination for travelers

• Spending less than a month in areas with Japanese encephalitis but will be doing activities that increase risk of infection, such as visiting rural areas, hiking or camping, or staying in places without air conditioning, screens, or bed nets
• Going to areas with Japanese encephalitis who are uncertain of their activities or how long they will be there

Not recommended for travelers planning short-term travel to urban areas or travel to areas with no clear Japanese encephalitis season. 

Japanese encephalitis - CDC Yellow Book

Japanese Encephalitis Vaccine for US Children

CDC recommends that travelers going to certain areas of South Korea take prescription medicine to prevent malaria. Depending on the medicine you take, you will need to start taking this medicine multiple days before your trip, as well as during and after your trip. Talk to your doctor about which malaria medication you should take.

Find  country-specific information  about malaria.

Malaria - CDC Yellow Book

Considerations when choosing a drug for malaria prophylaxis (CDC Yellow Book)

Malaria information for South Korea.

Cases of measles are on the rise worldwide. Travelers are at risk of measles if they have not been fully vaccinated at least two weeks prior to departure, or have not had measles in the past, and travel internationally to areas where measles is spreading.

All international travelers should be fully vaccinated against measles with the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, including an early dose for infants 6–11 months, according to  CDC’s measles vaccination recommendations for international travel .

Measles (Rubeola) - CDC Yellow Book

South Korea is free of dog rabies. However, rabies may still be present in wildlife species, particularly bats. CDC recommends rabies vaccination before travel only for people working directly with wildlife. These people may include veterinarians, animal handlers, field biologists, or laboratory workers working with specimens from mammalian species.

Rabies - CDC Yellow Book

Tick-borne Encephalitis

Avoid bug bites

Learn more about tick-borne encephalitis at your destination .

Tick-borne Encephalitis - CDC Yellow Book

Recommended for most travelers, especially those staying with friends or relatives or visiting smaller cities or rural areas.

Typhoid - CDC Yellow Book

Dosing info - Typhoid

Yellow Fever

Required if traveling from a country with risk of YF virus transmission and ≥1 year of age. 1

Yellow Fever - CDC Yellow Book

Avoid contaminated water

Leptospirosis

How most people get sick (most common modes of transmission)

• Touching urine or other body fluids from an animal infected with leptospirosis
• Swimming or wading in urine-contaminated fresh water, or contact with urine-contaminated mud
• Drinking water or eating food contaminated with animal urine
• Avoid contaminated water and soil

Clinical Guidance

Airborne & droplet, avian/bird flu.

• Being around, touching, or working with infected poultry, such as visiting poultry farms or live-animal markets
• Avoid domestic and wild poultry
• Breathing in air or accidentally eating food contaminated with the urine, droppings, or saliva of infected rodents
• Bite from an infected rodent
• Less commonly, being around someone sick with hantavirus (only occurs with Andes virus)
• Avoid rodents and areas where they live
• Avoid sick people

Tuberculosis (TB)

• Breathe in TB bacteria that is in the air from an infected and contagious person coughing, speaking, or singing.

Learn actions you can take to stay healthy and safe on your trip. Vaccines cannot protect you from many diseases in South Korea, so your behaviors are important.

Eat and drink safely

Food and water standards around the world vary based on the destination. Standards may also differ within a country and risk may change depending on activity type (e.g., hiking versus business trip). You can learn more about safe food and drink choices when traveling by accessing the resources below.

• Choose Safe Food and Drinks When Traveling
• Water Treatment Options When Hiking, Camping or Traveling
• Global Water, Sanitation and Hygiene | Healthy Water
• Avoid Contaminated Water During Travel

You can also visit the  Department of State Country Information Pages  for additional information about food and water safety.

Prevent bug bites

Although South Korea is an industrialized country, bug bites here can still spread diseases. Just as you would in the United States, try to avoid bug bites while spending time outside or in wooded areas.

What can I do to prevent bug bites?

• Cover exposed skin by wearing long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and hats.
• Use an appropriate insect repellent (see below).
• Consider using permethrin-treated clothing and gear if spending a lot of time outside. Do not use permethrin directly on skin.

What type of insect repellent should I use?

• FOR PROTECTION AGAINST TICKS AND MOSQUITOES: Use a repellent that contains 20% or more DEET for protection that lasts up to several hours.
• Picaridin (also known as KBR 3023, Bayrepel, and icaridin)
• Oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE) or para-menthane-diol (PMD)
• 2-undecanone
• Always use insect repellent as directed.

What should I do if I am bitten by bugs?

• Avoid scratching bug bites, and apply hydrocortisone cream or calamine lotion to reduce the itching.
• Check your entire body for ticks after outdoor activity. Be sure to remove ticks properly.

What can I do to avoid bed bugs?

Although bed bugs do not carry disease, they are an annoyance. See our information page about avoiding bug bites for some easy tips to avoid them. For more information on bed bugs, see Bed Bugs .

For more detailed information on avoiding bug bites, see Avoid Bug Bites .

Stay safe outdoors

If your travel plans in South Korea include outdoor activities, take these steps to stay safe and healthy during your trip:

• Stay alert to changing weather conditions and adjust your plans if conditions become unsafe.
• Prepare for activities by wearing the right clothes and packing protective items, such as bug spray, sunscreen, and a basic first aid kit.
• Consider learning basic first aid and CPR before travel. Bring a travel health kit with items appropriate for your activities.
• If you are outside for many hours in the heat, eat salty snacks and drink water to stay hydrated and replace salt lost through sweating.
• Protect yourself from UV radiation : use sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15, wear protective clothing, and seek shade during the hottest time of day (10 a.m.–4 p.m.).
• Be especially careful during summer months and at high elevation. Because sunlight reflects off snow, sand, and water, sun exposure may be increased during activities like skiing, swimming, and sailing.
• Very cold temperatures can be dangerous. Dress in layers and cover heads, hands, and feet properly if you are visiting a cold location.

Stay safe around water

• Swim only in designated swimming areas. Obey lifeguards and warning flags on beaches.
• Do not dive into shallow water.
• Avoid swallowing water when swimming. Untreated water can carry germs that make you sick.
• Practice safe boating—follow all boating safety laws, do not drink alcohol if you are driving a boat, and always wear a life jacket.

Keep away from animals

Most animals avoid people, but they may attack if they feel threatened, are protecting their young or territory, or if they are injured or ill. Animal bites and scratches can lead to serious diseases such as rabies.

Follow these tips to protect yourself:

• Do not touch or feed any animals you do not know.
• Do not allow animals to lick open wounds, and do not get animal saliva in your eyes or mouth.
• Avoid rodents and their urine and feces.
• Traveling pets should be supervised closely and not allowed to come in contact with local animals.
• If you wake in a room with a bat, seek medical care immediately.  Bat bites may be hard to see.

All animals can pose a threat, but be extra careful around dogs, bats, monkeys, sea animals such as jellyfish, and snakes. If you are bitten or scratched by an animal, immediately:

• Wash the wound with soap and clean water.
• Go to a doctor right away.
• Tell your doctor about your injury when you get back to the United States.

Reduce your exposure to germs

Follow these tips to avoid getting sick or spreading illness to others while traveling:

• Wash your hands often, especially before eating.
• If soap and water aren’t available, clean hands with hand sanitizer (containing at least 60% alcohol).
• Don’t touch your eyes, nose, or mouth. If you need to touch your face, make sure your hands are clean.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when coughing or sneezing.
• Try to avoid contact with people who are sick.
• If you are sick, stay home or in your hotel room, unless you need medical care.

Avoid sharing body fluids

Diseases can be spread through body fluids, such as saliva, blood, vomit, and semen.

Protect yourself:

• Use latex condoms correctly.
• Do not inject drugs.
• Limit alcohol consumption. People take more risks when intoxicated.
• Do not share needles or any devices that can break the skin. That includes needles for tattoos, piercings, and acupuncture.
• If you receive medical or dental care, make sure the equipment is disinfected or sanitized.

Know how to get medical care while traveling

Plan for how you will get health care during your trip, should the need arise:

• Carry a list of local doctors and hospitals at your destination.
• Review your health insurance plan to determine what medical services it would cover during your trip. Consider purchasing travel health and medical evacuation insurance for things your regular insurance will not cover.
• Carry a card that identifies, in the local language, your blood type, chronic conditions or serious allergies, and the generic names of any medicines you take.
• Bring copies of your prescriptions for medicine and for eye glasses and contact lenses.
• Some prescription drugs may be illegal in other countries. Call South Korea’s embassy to verify that all of your prescription(s) are legal to bring with you.
• Bring all the medicines (including over-the-counter medicines) you think you might need during your trip, including extra in case of travel delays. Ask your doctor to help you get prescriptions filled early if you need to.

Many foreign hospitals and clinics are accredited by the Joint Commission International. A list of accredited facilities is available at their website ( www.jointcommissioninternational.org ).

Malaria is a risk in some parts of South Korea. If you are going to a risk area, fill your malaria prescription before you leave, and take enough with you for the entire length of your trip. Follow your doctor’s instructions for taking the pills; some need to be started before you leave.

Select safe transportation

Motor vehicle crashes are the #1 killer of healthy US citizens in foreign countries.

Be smart when you are traveling on foot.

• Use sidewalks and marked crosswalks.
• Pay attention to the traffic around you, especially in crowded areas.
• Remember, people on foot do not always have the right of way in other countries.

Riding/Driving

Choose a safe vehicle.

• Choose official taxis or public transportation, such as trains and buses.
• Make sure there are seatbelts.
• Avoid overcrowded, overloaded, top-heavy buses and minivans.
• Avoid riding on motorcycles or motorbikes, especially motorbike taxis. (Many crashes are caused by inexperienced motorbike drivers.)
• Choose newer vehicles—they may have more safety features, such as airbags, and be more reliable.
• Choose larger vehicles, which may provide more protection in crashes.

Think about the driver.

• Do not drive after drinking alcohol or ride with someone who has been drinking.
• Consider hiring a licensed, trained driver familiar with the area.
• Arrange payment before departing.

Follow basic safety tips.

• Wear a seatbelt at all times.
• Sit in the back seat of cars and taxis.
• When on motorbikes or bicycles, always wear a helmet. (Bring a helmet from home, if needed.)
• Do not use a cell phone or text while driving (illegal in many countries).
• Travel during daylight hours only, especially in rural areas.
• If you choose to drive a vehicle in South Korea, learn the local traffic laws and have the proper paperwork.
• Get any driving permits and insurance you may need. Get an International Driving Permit (IDP). Carry the IDP and a US-issued driver's license at all times.
• Check with your auto insurance policy's international coverage, and get more coverage if needed. Make sure you have liability insurance.
• Avoid using local, unscheduled aircraft.
• If possible, fly on larger planes (more than 30 seats); larger airplanes are more likely to have regular safety inspections.
• Try to schedule flights during daylight hours and in good weather.

Helpful Resources

Road Safety Overseas (Information from the US Department of State): Includes tips on driving in other countries, International Driving Permits, auto insurance, and other resources.

The Association for International Road Travel has country-specific Road Travel Reports available for most countries for a minimal fee.

Maintain personal security

Use the same common sense traveling overseas that you would at home, and always stay alert and aware of your surroundings.

Before you leave

• Research your destination(s), including local laws, customs, and culture.
• Monitor travel advisories and alerts and read travel tips from the US Department of State.
• Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) .
• Leave a copy of your itinerary, contact information, credit cards, and passport with someone at home.
• Pack as light as possible, and leave at home any item you could not replace.

While at your destination(s)

• Carry contact information for the nearest US embassy or consulate .
• Carry a photocopy of your passport and entry stamp; leave the actual passport securely in your hotel.
• Follow all local laws and social customs.
• Do not wear expensive clothing or jewelry.
• Always keep hotel doors locked, and store valuables in secure areas.
• If possible, choose hotel rooms between the 2nd and 6th floors.

Healthy Travel Packing List

Use the Healthy Travel Packing List for South Korea for a list of health-related items to consider packing for your trip. Talk to your doctor about which items are most important for you.

Why does CDC recommend packing these health-related items?

It’s best to be prepared to prevent and treat common illnesses and injuries. Some supplies and medicines may be difficult to find at your destination, may have different names, or may have different ingredients than what you normally use.

If you are not feeling well after your trip, you may need to see a doctor. If you need help finding a travel medicine specialist, see Find a Clinic . Be sure to tell your doctor about your travel, including where you went and what you did on your trip. Also tell your doctor if you were bitten or scratched by an animal while traveling.

If your doctor prescribed antimalarial medicine for your trip, keep taking the rest of your pills after you return home. If you stop taking your medicine too soon, you could still get sick.

Malaria is always a serious disease and may be a deadly illness. If you become ill with a fever either while traveling in a malaria-risk area or after you return home (for up to 1 year), you should seek immediate medical attention and should tell the doctor about your travel history.

For more information on what to do if you are sick after your trip, see Getting Sick after Travel .

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• Open access
• Published: 03 May 2024

New framework to assess tracing and testing based on South Korea’s response to COVID-19

• Junhyoung Kim 1 ,
• Suyoung Jo 1 &
• Sung-il Cho 1  

BMC Infectious Diseases volume  24 , Article number:  469 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

165 Accesses

1 Altmetric

Metrics details

South Korea’s remarkable success in controlling the spread of COVID-19 during the pre-Omicron period was based on extensive contact tracing and large-scale testing. Here we suggest a general criterion for tracing and testing based on South Korea’s experience, and propose a new framework to assess tracing and testing. We reviewed papers on South Korea’s response to COVID-19 to capture its concept of tracing and testing. South Korea expanded its testing capabilities to enable group tracing combined with preemptive testing, and to conduct open testing. According to our proposed model, COVID-19 cases are classified into 4 types: confirmed in quarantine, source known, source unknown, and unidentified. The proportion of the first two case types among confirmed cases is defined as “traced proportion”, and used as the indicator of tracing and testing effectiveness. In conclusion, South Korea successfully suppressed COVID-19 transmission by maintaining a high traced proportion (> 60%) using group tracing in conjunction with preemptive testing as a complementary strategy to traditional contact tracing.

Peer Review reports

Containment, suppression, and mitigation were proposed as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic response strategies [ 1 ]. Containment aims to eliminate community transmission (zero incidence for certain period of time beyond the latent period) via stringent interventions such as lockdown, border closure, and extensive tracing and large-scale testing [ 1 ]. Because containment is difficult to sustain in the long term, many countries implemented a suppression or mitigation strategy. Mitigation aims to minimize damage to high-risk populations and so allows a time-varying reproduction number (R t ) > 1. By contrast, suppression aims to reduce R t below 1 to minimize transmission [ 1 , 2 ]. R t is the average number of secondary cases of an infector during his or her infectious period and can be controlled by countermeasures and behavioral changes [ 3 ]. Lockdown, social distancing, mandatory mask wearing, restrictions on flights from high-risk countries, and temporary border closure were implemented in the United States, Argentina, and Uganda [ 1 ]. In addition, contact tracing and testing were proposed as essential case-based interventions in suppression strategy, but the approaches used differed according to national capabilities [ 1 ]. South Korea implemented a suppression strategy, which did not encompass lockdown or border closure.

South Korea’s COVID-19 control was remarkable compared to other countries that adopted a suppression strategy. In 2020, South Korea exhibited significantly lower daily new cases per million compared to the United States and Argentina, with maximum figures of 139, 4,489, and 2,109 cases per million, respectively. Additionally, the average daily new cases per million in South Korea were also notably lower than those observed in the United States and Argentina. South Korea minimized the number of confirmed cases by its suppression strategy through extensive contact tracing and large-scale testing (the 3Ts; tracing, testing, treatment) [ 4 , 5 ]. South Korea achieved noteworthy outcomes, despite not implementing a rigorous containment strategy [ 4 , 5 ].

Since the effectiveness of contact tracing is determined by the basic reproduction number (R 0 ) and fraction of asymptomatic infection, contact tracing alone cannot counter COVID-19, which has high overall and silent transmission rates [ 6 ]. As a complementary measure, appropriate testing may be important. However, combined tracing and testing strategies have not been formulated [ 1 , 2 , 7 ], so a framework to maximize the effect of tracing and testing is needed. South Korea can serve as a reference for such a suppression strategy.

We performed a review of typical examples of South Korea’s response to COVID-19. In addition, we developed a conceptual model to explore effective tracing and testing strategies. The objectives of this study were to suggest general criteria for tracing and testing based on South Korea’s experience, and to propose a framework to assess tracing and testing.

This study followed the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses for Scoping Reviews) guidelines [ 8 ]. We reviewed papers on South Korea’s response to COVID-19 to capture the concept of tracing and testing. Papers that addressed the epidemiological investigation process in South Korea from 2020 to 2021 with the number of tests and cases, were included. In addition, a conceptual model was developed based on the concept of tracing and testing. SEIR model was used, and quarantine was included to the model for further understanding the process of tracing and testing. We gathered COVID-19 risk indicators from KDCA (Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency) press releases issued between June 2020 and February 2022 to validate the accuracy of our developed model’s hypotheses.

Search strategy

The search terms were combined with terms related to South Korea’s response to COVID-19. A search of studies on databases was performed on 17th October 2021, including Pubmed and Embase. The detail search terms for Pubmed are presented in Supplementary material (Table S 1 ).

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

In this review, we included studies on South Korea’s response to COVID-19 outbreaks in 2020. Studies that did not include examples of South Korea and did not report the number of confirmed cases and tests were excluded. Additionally, studies not written in English were excluded. Conference abstracts, review paper, letters, editorials, or article comments were excluded. The detail inclusion and exclusion criteria are presented in Supplementary material (Table S 2 ).

An author firstly screened each study by title and abstract according to inclusion criteria using reference management software, EndNote 20.2.1 version. After the first screening, another author independently conducted the second screening. The full text of the title and abstract screened studies was reviewed by all authors.

Data extraction

To clarify the tracing and testing strategies of South Korea, the number of cases and tests were extracted from the reviewed literatures. The process of tracing and testing in each study were extracted to describe and understand the strategic changes of South Korea’s response in 2020.

Results of search and screening

The search on databases identified 2,971 studies, and 472 duplicates were removed. In title and abstract screening, 2,200 studies were excluded because they were not about COVID-19 or South Korea. In the full-text screening, 293 studies that did not report the number of cases and tests were excluded. Finally, 6 studies were selected for this review.

South Korea’s response to COVID-19

South Korea has expanded its testing capabilities to overcome the limitations of contact tracing. In the early stage, South Korea strengthened quarantine for those arriving from abroad and conducted tests on suspected cases who visited areas of COVID-19 spread or had symptoms related to COVID-19. In addition, through contact tracing and testing, efforts were made to locate exposed persons and sources of infection. On February 7, 2020, three cases were confirmed, and investigation revealed an outbreak related to Zumba dance classes [ 9 ]. Epidemiological investigators traced 1,687 contacts, 116 of which were confirmed. In addition, eight Zumba instructors were identified as sources of infection [ 9 ]. However, as the number of confirmed cases increased, South Korea’s contact tracing capability was exceeded.

The government of South Korea actively responded by tracing groups at risk of infection and testing all individuals in those groups. The first COVID-19 wave in South Korea began in Shincheonji Church (hereafter S. Church) in Daegu [ 10 ]. Although the index case of S. Church had symptoms related to COVID-19, she was tested late, and the source of her infection was not identified [ 10 ]. As a result of contact tracing of the index case, about 1,000 persons who attended the same worship service were classified as contacts and tested. However, as the number of confirmed cases in S. Church increased, the health authorities decided to test all members and related persons ( n  = 10,220) based on the potential for a large-scale outbreak in S. Church [ 10 ]. As a result, 4,137 cases were confirmed [ 10 ].

Tracing of groups and large-scale testing of all members continued in South Korea. After a worker in a call center in Seoul was confirmed to have COVID-19 in March 2020, epidemiological investigators determined that the possibility of an outbreak in the call center was high, based on its workplace environment characteristics [ 11 ]. All workers in the call center, as well as residents of and visitors to the building, were tested ( n  = 1,143); 96 cases were confirmed [ 11 ]. Related to this call center outbreak, a nurse at a long-term care hospital in Bucheon, South Korea, was confirmed to have COVID-19 [ 12 ]. 22 hospital workers with the same working hours, and all residents, were classified as contacts. All workers and residents were tested ( n  = 227), and there were no additional cases [ 12 ]. In March 2020, three confirmed cases were reported among visitors to a spa facility in Cheonan [ 13 ]. The health authority conducted tests on all workers and visitors ( n  = 2,245) to the spa facility and building. As a result, seven confirmed cases were identified [ 13 ]. A large-scale testing strategy was implemented after the Itaewon club outbreak in May 2020 [ 14 ]. After social distancing was relaxed in South Korea on May 6, 2020, confirmed cases continued to occur at several clubs in Itaewon, Seoul [ 14 ]. In response, the Seoul Metropolitan Government and health authorities conducted nationwide large-scale testing by tracing all visitors to the clubs; 41,612 persons were tested, and 96 cases were confirmed [ 14 ].

Temporary screening centers were used in South Korea to prevent sporadic infections in the community. Temporary screening centers were operating in the Seoul metropolitan area at the beginning of the third wave, and as the number of confirmed cases increased, these centers were established nationwide. Unlike previous waves, the third wave in South Korea was driven by a small community outbreak with an unknown source of infection [ 15 ] and was spread by pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic cases. Therefore, suppression by tracing became difficult, and temporary screening centers were introduced to identify pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic cases in the community.

South Korea’s testing strategies are based on the risk of infection determined by tracing. The epidemiology investigators, who traced COVID-19 outbreaks, defined risk group, and planned how to test persons relating to the risk group. Tracing and testing strategies of reviewed studies are listed in Table  1 . Two examples outside of South Korea are included to demonstrate that comparable approaches were sometimes utilized in other countries [ 16 , 17 ]. Normally, South Korea tested all persons who had increased risk, which is higher risk than background risk.

Contact tracing with tracing-related testing

South Korea’s approach to combining tracing and testing encompassed 3 strategies: contact tracing with tracing-related testing, group tracing with preemptive testing, and testing of untraced individuals. Contact tracing with tracing-related testing can identify persons suspected of having been in close contact with an infected individual, assess their exposure, and quarantine them. Contact tracing is divided into backward and forward tracing. Backward tracing identifies the source of infection, and locates contacts during the latent period of a confirmed case (Fig.  1 a) [ 18 , 19 , 20 ]. Backward tracing strengthens the effectiveness of the overall response by identifying clusters that were not found by forward tracing, but it is often challenged to find the source of infection because it relies primarily on reporting of index case. Forward tracing identifies contacts exposed to an infector and locates individuals in contact with the infector during the infectious period (Fig.  1 b) [ 18 , 19 , 20 ]. As forward tracing is a proactive approach, it has a preventive effect due to rapid detection of contacts, but for infectious diseases with high R 0 , it is difficult to lower R t only by forward tracing. In South Korea, bidirectional tracing, i.e. , combination of forward and backward tracing, was performed (Fig.  1 c) [ 20 ]. In addition, traced contacts were tested immediately, and negative contacts were quarantined until their potential infectious period ends. South Korea contained the spread of COVID-19 in the early stage of the pandemic by bidirectional contact tracing and quarantining contacts with tracing-related testing.

Types of tracing and source of infection. A Backward contact tracing. Backward tracing attempts to identify the primary case as the source of infection by finding contacts during the latent period of a confirmed case; dashed red circle, unknown primary case. B Forward contact tracing. Forward tracing identifies and quarantines contacts during the infectious period of a confirmed case. Dashed yellow circle, contact of a confirmed case during the infectious period. C Forward and backward tracing from an index case (no. 1). Contacts (no. 2) of the index case are identified by forward (solid green arrow) and backward (dashed green arrow) contact tracing. Additional cases (no. 3) are identified by forward tracing of a case (no. 2) identified by backward tracing of the index case. D Group tracing. Group tracing refers to the tracing of a group suspected of being a COVID-19 cluster. Red box, potential cluster; dashed red circle above box, unknown primary case; solid red circle, index case of the potential cluster

Group tracing with preemptive testing

Group tracing with preemptive testing is defined as tracing a group suspected of outbreak and testing those related to the traced group (Fig.  1 d) [ 21 ]. A group suspected of outbreak is one in which the risk of infection is greater than the background risk, which is the risk of general population. Digital information such as GPS data, mobile data signals, and credit card usage history was utilized for tracing, which enabled particularly large-scale group tracing [ 22 ]. A group with increased risk is defined as a risk group and preemptive testing on individuals in the risk group is conducted. Preemptive testing refers to the screening of all persons in the traced group and is performed irrespective of symptom onset or exposure assessment of the individuals. Quarantining of persons in the traced group is optional, and the optimal timing for testing is before and after quarantine. Preemptive testing was implemented not only in South Korea, but also in other countries to identify asymptomatic cases [ 16 , 17 , 23 ]. Preemptive testing suppressed the spread of COVID-19 in long-term care facilities in the United States [ 16 ]. In Wuhan, China, after the lockdown, all citizens were tested ( n  = 9,899,828), and 300 asymptomatic cases were identified [ 17 ] (Table  1 ). As such, group tracing with preemptive testing effectively found presymptomatic and asymptomatic cases in the risk group who were not detected by contact tracing. Group tracing with preemptive testing served as a complementary strategy to contact tracing.

Testing of untraced individuals

Untraced individuals are categorized as 2 groups: individuals who meet the criteria for a suspected case (testing on persons who visited areas of COVID-19 spread and/or had symptoms related to COVID-19), and individuals who do not meet the criteria for a suspected case. At the beginning of the pandemic, testing was performed only on untraced individuals who met the criteria for a suspected case (suspected case testing). The index cases of the above-mentioned outbreaks were identified by suspected case testing. As a result, suspected case testing contributed to suppress the transmission in South Korea. Because it is difficult to test pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic cases, South Korea allowed the testing of individuals who did not meet the criteria for a suspected case. This strategy (testing anyone who wishes to be tested regardless of epidemiological association) is defined as open testing and enables detection of pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic cases. As open testing was implemented by the temporary screening centers nationwide, the number of tests increased and the transmission of COVID-19 decreased [ 24 , 25 ]. The key strategic changes in South Korea were shown in Fig.  2 .

Key strategic changes in South Korea

Conceptual model based on South Korea’s experience

Seqir model.

We developed a model based on tracing, testing, and quarantine in South Korea (Fig.  2 ). The proposed model has five compartments: S, E, Q, I, and R. S denotes susceptible individuals without immunity to COVID-19 by vaccination or natural infection. People who have been in contact with an infected person but are not yet infectious move from S to E. The movement from S to E is determined by parameters such as transmission rate, infection period, and contact rate between people. E refers to persons exposed to COVID-19 subject to contact and group tracing. The tracing concepts described above are presented as subscripts of each E compartment in Fig.  3 . The movement from E to I is affected by latent period. Cases confirmed by testing are in the infected group, and are classified into four types according to the process of tracing, testing, and quarantine. As shown in Fig.  3 , the type of I affects key parameters such as infection period and contact rate. Infected group moved to recovery compartment by recovering rate. Unknown parameters such as quarantined proportion, proportion of each E compartment, and proportion of unidentified cases (I 4 ) can be calibrated or estimated using real data.

SEQIR model of tracing and testing. Exposure compartments are classified as E f , E b , E g , and E u based on the type of contact tracing (subscript; forward tracing (f), backward tracing (b), group tracing (g), untraced (u)). Infection compartments are classified as I 1 –I 4 , according to tracing, testing and quarantine. I 1 is confirmed during quarantine by forward contact tracing with tracing-related testing, and has no additional transmission due to timely quarantine. I 2 is a confirmed case not under quarantine with a known source of infection. Among the contacts identified by forward contact tracing, a case confirmed without quarantine takes the first path of I 2 (E f  → I 2.1 ). The second path of I 2 is taken by a case confirmed by tracing of a group suspected to be a COVID-19 cluster (E g  → I 2.1 ). For this case, the cluster is designated as a source of infection. The third path of I 2 corresponds to the source of infection being identified by backward contact tracing after confirming a case (E b  → I 2.2 ). I 3 is a confirmed case with an unknown source of infection, and I 4 is an unidentified case that has not been traced, quarantined, or tested. Dotted line, unobserved state; solid line, observed state. Case types within a dotted box may transmit infection to others, as indicated by the feedback arrow

Case types by proposed model

I 1 was defined as cases confirmed in quarantine (Fig.  3 ). Some contacts were identified before their infectious period by forward tracing and quarantined to prevent further spread of COVID-19. I 2 was defined as a non-quarantined cases with a known source of infection. I 2 was divided into I 2.1 and I 2.2 depending on whether the source was known at the time of confirmation. I 2.1 was identified by forward and group tracing and confirmed positive for COVID-19 before quarantine. I 2.2 was not traced, so the source was unknown at the time of confirmation but later identified via backward tracing. Since backward tracing is conducted after confirmation, the number of I 2.2 among new confirmed cases reported on any given day is unknown, and I 2.2 can be distinguished from I 3 after a few days.

I 3 was a case not detected by tracing, and for which the source was not traced after confirmation. Persons who participated in suspected case testing or open testing did not have an epidemiological linkage. The source of infection was unknown at the time of confirmation. Also, backward tracing failed due to recall bias and the high rate of asymptomatic cases [ 10 , 18 , 19 ].

Cases not traced and tested were in the unidentified group (I 4 ), and were not included among the confirmed cases. The types of cases confirmed by tracing, testing and quarantine are shown in Table  2 ; these types were applied to the reviewed papers (Table  3 ). I 1 applied to two cases from the spa facility outbreak and 108 from the fitness center outbreak. All confirmed cases in the S. Church, call center, and Itaewon club outbreaks who underwent group tracing and preemptive testing were classified as I 2 . Because detailed classification is hampered by the lack of information on the date of confirmation and quarantine, the index cases of these outbreaks were also classified as I 2 . In addition, five cases in the spa facility and three in the fitness center were classified as I 2 . Finally, three index cases in the spa facility outbreak and eight Zumba instructors identified as sources of infection in the fitness center outbreak were classified as I 3 .

Novel indicators based on the SEQIR model

The proportions of case types can be used as indicators for tracing and testing. Because the case types are defined by tracing and testing, the performance thereof can be assessed based on the proportion of each case type. First, the overall effectiveness of tracing and testing can be determined based on the proportion of I 1 and I 2 among confirmed cases (I 1  + I 2  + I 3 ). This measure is termed as “traced proportion”. In South Korea, traced proportion remained above 60% due to extensive tracing and large-scale testing (Fig.  4 ). In the Fig.  4 , I 3 (the green dotted line) rarely rise over 40%, and this means that the traced proportion (I 1  + I 2  = 100%-I 3 ) is maintained generally above 60% in this period. In addition, the relative proportions of case types can indicate the tracing and testing capabilities that need to be enhanced.

Time series trends of the case types in South Korea. The rate of I 3 decrease (green dashed line) was moderated by increasing I 2 (blue solid line) when I 1 (red dashed line) was lowered during the spread of COVID-19 (third wave, November 2020 to January 2021; fourth wave, July to October 2021)

I 1 is the endpoint of tracing and testing process (Fig. 5 ). A strategy conducting contact tracing and quarantine with testing before and after quarantine to increase the proportion of I 1 is an effective strategy to prevent the spread of COVID-19 transmission early [ 6 , 26 , 27 ]. Additionally, with sufficient tracing and testing, this strategy can effectively prevent I 2 and I 3 , and reduce contacts by minimizing the time confirmed cases spend with others. Thus, I 1 is the first metric to monitor.

Tracing and testing algorithm. The index case was identified by suspected case testing or open testing. Backward and forward tracing were performed to identify contacts of the index case. Cases confirmed by backward tracing had an unknown source (I 3 ), so backward tracing was repeatedly performed until no additional cases were found. Contacts identified by forward tracing were confirmed before quarantine, and forward tracing was repeated until no additional cases were found. Cases confirmed in quarantine are the end point of the algorithm, indicating no further spread of infection. Cases identified by group tracing and preemptive testing had a known source, and required further forward tracing. Cases in quarantine can be identified by group tracing or preemptive testing depending on the guidelines applied. For example, all members of Shincheonji Church were instructed to self-quarantine by the health authority before undergoing preemptive testing

I 2 includes cases of delayed forward and group tracing. If tracing is delayed, additional forward tracing is required to find secondary infections. Therefore, the continuous occurrence of I 2 may lead to an iterative forward-tracing. To break this, acceleration of forward tracing, or wider quarantine of individuals belonging to traced groups are needed.

I 3 refers to untraced cases. The proportion of I 3 may be increased by an accumulation of undetected cases in the community, and by high proportions of pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic cases. An increase in I 3 needs to be prevented because it may lead to large-scale outbreaks by promoting silent transmission. Strengthening of rapid contact tracing and implementing group tracing and preemptive testing can prevent an increase in I 3 . In addition, large-scale open testing can reduce the proportion of I 3 by identifying pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic cases in the community. Furthermore, a large proportion of I 3 implies that the tracing capability is poor compared to testing. Therefore, the proportion of I 3 can be an alternative indicator to the traced proportion when a country’s tracing capability is insufficient.

In this study, we evaluated tracing and testing in South Korea by analyzing the response to COVID-19 outbreaks. In South Korea, forward and backward tracing were implemented. In addition, group tracing combined with preemptive testing and open testing were conducted to overcome the limitations of conventional contact tracing. We proposed the SEQIR model to explore the properties of case types according to tracing and testing strategies. In the model, the confirmed cases were classified into I 1 –I 4 , the proportions of which can be used as tracing and testing performance indicators.

In South Korea, simultaneous forward and backward tracing was an effective countermeasure for COVID-19—backward tracing can identify cases missed by forward tracing (Fig.  1 c). This is consistent with prior studies that bidirectional tracing allows the detection of hidden transmission paths [ 18 , 20 ]. Moreover, bidirectional tracing was superior for controlling the spread of COVID-19 compared with forward tracing alone [ 18 , 20 ]. The proportion of I 1 in South Korea remained almost above 90% from March 2020 to April 2020, which was not included in Fig. 4 . This shows that South Korea proactively identified almost all cases by bidirectional contact tracing in the early stage of pandemic as shown in Fig.  2 .

The case types in this study were consistent with South Korea’s risk assessment indicators. The proportion of I 1 is identical to the timely quarantined proportion (TQP) proposed previously, and can be used to assess the effects of epidemiological investigation, testing, and quarantine [ 28 ]. It is necessary to monitor trends in I 1 to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Maintaining a high proportion of I 1 is a challenge for many countries. Furthermore, maintaining a high proportion of I 1 during the period of delta variant predominance was problematic because of its high transmission rate and ability to escape the immune system. The emergence of a new variant can increase the proportion of untraced cases (I 3 ). An unlinked case is a confirmed case with no link to the infector [ 29 , 30 ]. A confirmed case discovered by group tracing and preemptive testing can be classified as an unlinked case, but not as an untraced case, and remains controllable. Reducing the untraced proportion is another major challenge, but can be achieved by increasing the proportion of I 2 .

Proactive and fast tracing is necessary to increase I 2 . However, as mentioned above, the emergence of new variants can hamper the tracing of individuals suspected of having close contact with confirmed cases. In this case, group tracing and preemptive testing is a feasible alternative strategy to identify super-spreaders and reduce cluster size. During the period of delta variant predominance (after 2021 July) in South Korea, I 1 decreased, but I 3 remained < 40% (Fig. 4 ). According to the proposed model, this was achieved by group tracing and preemptive testing.

I 4 is one of the major concerns to control the COVID-19 transmission. There are several studies on the estimates of I 4 . Lee et al. estimated the proportion of undetected case of COVID-19 in South Korea as 5.8% (5,200/89,244) to 64% (139,900/218,744) using data as of 2nd February 2021, and a probabilistic model they developed [ 31 ]. A modeling study conducted by Huo et al. estimated the proportion of asymptomatic and undetected case in Wuhan, China as 22.4% (14,448/64,454) [ 32 ]. A systematic review which analyzed 79 studies, estimated the proportion of asymptomatic case as 20% (95% C.I 17%­25%) [ 33 ]. Additionally, these studies revealed that I 4 has transmissibility [ 31 , 32 ], and this was shown in the reviewed studies. The sources of infection of index cases in S. Church, call center, spa facility, and Itaewon nightclubs outbreaks were not identified [ 10 , 11 , 13 , 14 ]. Therefore, it is necessary to consider in the response planning not only the identified cases, but also the unidentified cases.

Unlike previous works, this study described the tracing and testing process in detail. In addition, the proposed model may be useful for other countries. However, we did not address the social distancing and vaccination policies that were instrumental for flattening the COVID-19 curve. In addition, statistical analysis of empirical data was not performed because the current study focused on conceptual analysis of South Korea’s COVID-19 tracing and testing strategies. Lastly, as this was not a systematic review, it did not include all articles that analyzed South Korea’s response to COVID-19.

South Korea responded to COVID-19 by expanding its testing capabilities. Group tracing with preemptive testing complemented traditional contact tracing. Open testing enabled detection of pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic cases. Finally, we found four case types, and the proportions of case types among confirmed cases could be used as indicators to of the effectiveness of tracing and testing; maintaining a high traced proportion is vital for the suppression of COVID-19 transmission.

Availability of data and materials

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the epidemiological investigators involved in the response to COVID-19 in South Korea.

This research was supported by the Bio & Medical Technology Development Program of the National Research Foundation (NRF) funded by the Korean government (MSIT) (No. 2021M3E5E3081366).

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J.K reviewed literatures and wrote the draft. S.J edited the initial manuscript. S.C designed this study and contributed to writing the final manuscript. All authors reviewed the results and implications.

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Kim, J., Jo, S. & Cho, Si. New framework to assess tracing and testing based on South Korea’s response to COVID-19. BMC Infect Dis 24 , 469 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-024-09363-4

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Received : 07 October 2023

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DOI : https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-024-09363-4

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