The Hong Kong government said it will continue to recognize South Korea's COVID-19 vaccination certificates, retracting its earlier announcement.

According to the South Korean Consulate General in Hong Kong on Friday, the region's authorities issued an amended announcement just after 12:00 a.m., saying they will continue to recognize the Seoul-issued certification. 

Hong Kong had announced earlier this week that, starting on August 20, it would only recognize its own certificates and those issued by mainland China and just 36 countries designated by the World Health Organization(WHO) as "stringent regulatory authorities."

The WHO's accredited “Stringent regulatory authorities” are members of the International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH), its observers, and its associates, a list that dates back some four years.

South Korean nationals who have a Seoul-issued vaccination certificate will continue to be allowed visa-free entry to Hong Kong. However, they will be required to quarantine at a designated hotel for 14 days instead of three weeks.