No handicap as South Koreans swing through Thailand's 'golf quarantine'

A man, who is among the first group of South Korean tourists to arrive in Thailand under a "golf quarantine" programme amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, plays golf during his 15-day quarantine at the Artitaya Country Club in Nakhon Nayok, Thailand February 25, 2021. Heo Kwang-eum / Handout via REUTERS

SEOUL (Reuters) - At six in the morning, Heo Kwang-eum tees off another day in Thailand in coronavirus quarantine - literally. He's one of dozens of South Korean visitors spending two weeks in isolation playing golf at a resort an hour north of Bangkok.

The 66-year-old businessman is one of the first group of 41 Korean travellers to arrive in Thailand under a 'golf quarantine' programme devised by the Thai government to boost its ailing tourism sector during the pandemic.