The South Korean Foreign Ministry has rebuked Japan's plans to impose a quarantine for visitors travelling from South Korea over the coronavirus outbreak in the country and will summon the Japanese ambassador on Friday to file a complaint.
South Korea's National Security Council said that Seoul will consider measures in response to the travel restrictions on the principles of reciprocity and stressed that the country had transparent control over coronavirus cases, contrary to the Japanese "passive" policy towards COVID-19.
On Thursday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ordered a two-week-quarantine for travellers from South Korea and banned arrivals from other areas affected by the new virus beginning on Saturday.
COVID-19 was first registered in the Chinese city of Wuhan in Hubei province and has since spread to at least 85 countries, according to the latest data provided by the World Health Organisation (WHO). In China, the virus has claimed the lives of more than 3,000 people.
