US eases travel advisory for S. Korea to lowest level

The US State Department also lowered its travel advisory for Japan from level 4 to level 3

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends a Senate hearing on Tuesday. (AFP/Yonhap News)

The US State Department has lowered the travel advisory for South Korea to level 1, the lowest level. Meanwhile, Japan, the host nation of the Tokyo Olympics next month, received a level 3, down from the highest level of 4.

The State Department released the adjusted travel advisory for Americans on its website on Tuesday. After being designated as a level 2 threat in November last year, after 196 days, South Korea has received a level 1 travel advisory.

According to the AFP, besides South Korea, other nations with a level 1 travel advisory include Ghana, Senegal, Singapore and Malta. The State Department’s travel advisory is divided into four levels: Precautions (level 1), Caution (level 2), Reconsider Travel (level 3) and Do Not Travel (level 4).

The recent announcement by the State Department adjusting South Korea’s travel advisory level may be attributed to a recommendation issued by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) classifying South Korea as a low-risk country (level 1). The CDC classifies countries into four groups based on disease risk: 4 (very high), 3 (high), 2 (moderate), and 1 (low).

Regarding Japan, the US State Department has eased its travel advisory from level 4 to level 3. This announcement comes 15 days after it had raised its travel advisory to level 4 based on the recommendation of the CDC on May 24. Travel advisories have also been reduced to level 3 for Canada, Mexico, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Russia and South Africa.

By Park Byong-su, senior staff writer

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