A 41-year-old Chinese man is taken to a hotel, designated by the government as a temporary quarantine facility for entrants from China, in Incheon, 27 kilometers west of Seoul, in this file photo. The man had illegally left the hotel two days before after he tested positive for COVID-19 upon entering Korea via Incheon International Airport, Jan. 5. Yonhap

The government has deported a Chinese national detained for going into hiding without entering mandatory quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19 upon arrival in Korea earlier this month, officials said Tuesday.

The 41-year-old was deported Jan. 13, eight days after he was taken into custody for refusing to be quarantined and later fleeing after he tested positive for the coronavirus following his arrival at Incheon International Airport, Jan. 3.

"He was referred to the prosecution after a police investigation on charges of violating the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act, but it takes more than a month before a court trial," an official of the Central Disaster Management Headquarters said.

"We had to release him, because the case does not constitute a reason for requesting a formal arrest warrant and so the Immigration Service took the measure of forced deportation, which the agency can take on its own without a trial," the official said.

If the prosecution had taken the man to court a fine could be imposed in the case he was found guilty, the official said. Up to one year in prison or a 10 million won ($8,121) in fine can be imposed on violators of the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act.

The Chinese man has also reportedly been barred from entering Korea for one year. (Yonhap)