South Korea begins visa-free entry for Chinese tourist groups

SEOUL/BEIJING: South Korea began offering visa-free entry for Chinese tourist groups on Monday, a measure it hopes will boost the economy and help improve ties with its Asian neighbour.

AI Brief

Chinese tour groups of three or more can enter South Korea visa-free for 15 days under a pilot program running until next June.
The move aligns with major holidays in both countries and aims to boost tourism and business, with companies offering tailored services.
South Korea hopes the initiative will strengthen relations with China ahead of President Xi Jinping's expected visit in October.

As part of the pilot programme due to run through until next June, groups of three or more tourists from mainland China will be able to stay without a visa for 15 days.

The action comes ahead of China's National Day holidays from October 1-8, as well as a run of South Korean holidays around the same time.

South Korean companies are seeking to benefit from the increased demand. Shilla Duty Free has organised a Chinese cruise tour and food delivery app Baedal Minjok is introducing payment options in Alipay and WeChat Pay.

The programme, announced in March, follows China's decision last November to offer visa exemptions to South Koreans for up to 30 days.

The last time South Korea offered mainland Chinese similar visa-free entry was from December 2017 to March 2018, coinciding with the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

The new administration of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung is hoping to further improve ties with China during an expected visit by President Xi Jinping in late October to an Asia-Pacific summit in South Korea.