Home > National > Social Affairs

Amid political turmoil, Korea announces tourist-friendly regulations

Published: 26 Dec. 2024, 17:51

LEE SOO-JUNG
[email protected]

International tourists wearing hanbok, or Korean traditional clothes, pose for a photograph in Gyeongbok Palace in central Seoul on Dec. 19. [YONHAP]

The government on Thursday announced a set of measures to revive the Korean tourism industry, which include the easing of immigration regulations for international travelers, seemingly addressing concerns about declining visitors related to domestic political turmoil.

The measures, including K-ETA exemptions and visa waivers, are intended to “stabilize the Korean tourism” market which has been shaken by martial law imposition earlier this month — with several foreign governments releasing travel advisories for those wishing to visit Korea.

While promoting Korea as “safe to travel,” the government will roll out “aggressive” marketing actions and reduce inconveniences to attract overseas tourists, according to the Office for Government Policy Coordination.

During a national tourism strategy meeting earlier in the day, acting President Han Duck-soo noted that global “interests toward the Korean culture are prompting their visits to Korea.” He added that letting “overseas travelers experience the daily lives of Koreans is tourism itself.”

The government will reduce entry barriers for foreign tourists by extending the K-ETA exemption period to December next year through coordination with the Ministry of Justice.

The newly announced benefit will be eligible to foreign nationals from over a dozen countries and regions that are currently subject to temporary exemption policy — including Japan, the United States, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Canada and Australia.

K-ETA is an electronic travel authorization system that requires foreign visitors to obtain authorization before they enter Korea.

The government will also exempt $15 worth of visa fees levied on foreign travelers who will be visiting Korea as tour groups from six countries — China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Cambodia and India — until next December.

The government also said it will “proactively review” the implementation of a visa-waiver program for Chinese tour groups that visit Korea through travel agencies specializing in bilateral tourism.

Next year, a pilot program that grants landing permission to cruise ship passengers will allow Chinse tour groups — with three people or more — arriving by cruise ships to land in Korea without visas.

Travelers walk inside the departures floor at Incheon International Airport on Dec. 16. [NEWS1]

Beyond immigration, both infrastructure and accessibility to transportation services will be “improved comprehensively and thoroughly” reflecting the preferences of foreign tourists.

The Korean government will fund some 50,000 overseas group tourists so they can apply for travel insurance free of charge until next March. Also, the tourism information hotline, 1330, which provides real-time interpretation service, will be run around the clock in Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese.

In an additional effort to boost tourism, the government has planned three large events to be held in the first half of the year. The annual shopping and tourism festival, the Korea Grand sale, will run from January through February. Beyond K-Festa, the tentative name for a K-pop event, will take place in June and the "Korea Beauty Festival" will be hosted in June and July.

Payment and reservation systems are set to be revamped through coordination with private service providers such as Naver. In detail, online reviews would be translated into foreign languages and QR payment system would be available at major shopping and sightseeing sites.

Multilingual services will become available when purchasing train tickets online, and more ticket vending machines that accept foreign cards will be installed in train stations from next year.

Also, the government has plans to promote taxi-hailing services for foreigners — Kakao Mobility’s k.ride and Seoul’s TABA and support overseas tourists who request taxi rides through the tourist hotline at 1330.

BY LEE SOO-JUNG [[email protected]]