PPP leaders urge end of visa-free entry for Chinese tourists over security, crime concerns
Published: 17 Oct. 2025, 19:49
![Chinese tourists on a group visa-free program line up at Piers 1 and 8 of Incheon Inner Port in Jung District, Incheon, on Sept. 29, the first day of Korea’s visa waiver for Chinese tour groups. [NEWS1]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/10/17/c1f60a63-a755-492e-9de2-617aef3b39eb.jpg)
Chinese tourists on a group visa-free program line up at Piers 1 and 8 of Incheon Inner Port in Jung District, Incheon, on Sept. 29, the first day of Korea’s visa waiver for Chinese tour groups. [NEWS1]
Leaders of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) on Friday publicly voiced opposition to Korea’s recent decision to allow visa-free entry for Chinese tour groups, citing national security concerns and rising public discontent.
“At the very least, President Lee Jae Myung should reconsider the visa-free entry policy for Chinese nationals,” said PPP floor leader Rep. Song Eon-seog during a party meeting at the National Assembly. “Allowing visa-free entry is a privilege granted by a sovereign nation; not granting it cannot be considered discrimination,” he added.
While individual PPP lawmakers have previously criticized the policy — such as Rep. Na Kyung-won, who in late September called for a delay, and Rep. Joo Jin-woo, who on Oct. 11 likened it to “a license for espionage” — Friday marked the first time that the party leadership has formally called for a comprehensive policy review.
The visa-free policy was approved at a tourism task force meeting on Aug. 6, chaired by Prime Minister Kim Min-seok. It temporarily allows Chinese nationals entering Korea on group tours to visit without a visa between Sept. 29 and June 30, 2026. China has permitted visa-free entry for Korean nationals since November last year.
Song pointed to recent criminal cases involving Chinese nationals who entered under the program as justification for the review.
“On Wednesday, three Chinese nationals on visa-free entry were caught stealing jewelry from a shop in downtown Jeju,” he said. “Six others who arrived on a cruise ship at Incheon Port on the first day of the program disappeared and remain missing three weeks later, fueling public concern.”
He added that the expected economic benefits from Chinese tourists may not outweigh the potential backlash. “The tourism industry has warned that attracting Chinese tour groups could deter domestic tourists, and the government should listen to those concerns,” he said.
![Chinese group tourists arrive at the Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 on Sept. 29 as Korea’s visa waiver program for group travelers from China takes effect. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/10/17/53581660-e07a-4763-ac57-f202a20eb32e.jpg)
Chinese group tourists arrive at the Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 on Sept. 29 as Korea’s visa waiver program for group travelers from China takes effect. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
Party insiders suggested that leadership intervention signals a growing awareness of public disapproval. According to a Gallup Korea phone survey conducted from Tuesday to Thursday of 1,001 Koreans over the age of 18, President Lee’s job approval stood at 54 percent, with 35 percent expressing disapproval. The most common reasons cited for disapproval were foreign policy at 18 percent and pro-China policies, including the visa-free program, at 8 percent.
“Crimes and disappearances have already occurred less than three weeks into the program,” a PPP official said. “This doesn’t mean all Chinese nationals are problematic, but it shows how difficult it is to regulate abuse of the system.”
Concerns about access to Korea’s health care system by Chinese nationals were also raised during the meeting. PPP Rep. Kim Eun-hye criticized what she called an imbalance in benefits.
“In the past nine years alone, Chinese nationals have claimed over 5 trillion won [$3.51 billion] in National Health Insurance coverage,” she said. “In China, our citizens cannot even enroll in health insurance unless they are formally employed, yet we offer benefits to Chinese nationals regardless of their employment status here.”
She added, “The public is frustrated that their insurance premiums are being used this way, but these voices are being drowned out by the DP’s so-called ‘hate speech’ narrative.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY SON KOOK-HEE [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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