Hong Kong travellers warned insurance won’t cover losses from South Korea martial law chaos
Industry body says changes to travel plans will not be covered, as many travellers go ahead with trips amid political upheaval
Insurers have warned Hongkongers heading to South Korea that they will not be protected against losses arising from the country’s short-lived declaration of martial law, with many travellers going ahead with their trips amid the political chaos.
The Hong Kong Federation of Insurers said on Wednesday industry operators could not provide coverage for changes to travel plans linked to the declaration made on Tuesday by South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, who reversed his shock decision six hours later.
“Martial law is a government order or control measure, it is not a risk that commercially operated travel insurance can bear. Therefore, the related losses caused by martial law are not covered by the insurance,” the federation said.
It added that protection primarily covered specific reasons such as natural disasters at the destination, bad weather or strikes.
The federation urged travellers to check with their agencies, hotels and airlines for refunds if wishing to cancel or shorten their trips.
The Security Bureau updated its Outbound Travel Alert webpage for South Korea on Wednesday, noting the country’s government had cancelled the martial law order and withdrawn its troops in the early morning.
