Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Seoul could consider lifting the limit on short-term visas for such travellers before the end of February if China's tally of COVID infections proved manageable, the Yonhap news agency said. "If (the situation) is endurable given the PCR COVID-19 test results, the lifting (of restrictions) could be considered earlier," Han said.
Chinese state media had warned against South Korea and Japan attending the NATO summit and criticised the alliance's broadening partnerships in Asia. North Korea has said NATO involvement in the Asia-Pacific region would import the conflict raging in Europe.
Countries around the world have faced rising energy costs in the face of a global surge in natural gas and heating fuel prices resulting from the conflict in Ukraine. Many South Korean households began to feel the impact in recent weeks after turning up the heat amid a cold spell, with monthly gas bills up 34% last month from a year ago, according to Statistics Korea.