Yangyang International Airport. — Photo from Korea Times

HÀ NỘI — The Vietnamese Embassy in the Republic of Korea (RoK) is working with South Korean agencies after around 100 Vietnamese people could not be contacted following their entry into the country as tourists, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lê Thị Thu Hằng announced. 

Spokesperson Hằng said initial information showed that contact was lost after they entered the RoK for tourism purposes through the Yangyang International Airport in Gangwon Province. As a result, airlines and travel companies have suspended the transport of tourists to Yangyang Island until the end of October 31.

Visa-free travel to Yangyang Airport and Jeju Island for Vietnamese tour groups through designated travel agencies resumed on June 1 after a long suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hằng said the embassy would continue to closely monitor the case, support the search for the citizens, and launch necessary citizen protection measures.

Meanwhile, the ministry’s Consular Department will work with agencies and tourism companies in Việt Nam to verify the citizens’ information and take measures to prevent Vietnamese people from seeking illegal residence in the RoK. — VNS