Unlocking Travel: How China’s Relaxed Visa Rules Boost Korean Tourism

Translation result

[iNews24 Reporter Kim Da-un] South Korea has relaxed visa rules to entice Chinese tourists back. From now on, Chinese nationals who have previously visited South Korea can get a five-year multiple-entry visa, and residents of certain major Chinese cities are now eligible for a 10-year multiple-entry visa.

The South Korean Embassy in China announced on its website on March 31 that, effective March 30, it has relaxed the criteria for issuing multiple-entry visas to Chinese nationals and extended their validity.

Under the new rules, Chinese nationals who have visited South Korea before can obtain a multiple-entry visa valid for five years.

For residents of some major Chinese cities, the validity of multiple-entry visas has been extended from five years to ten years.

The 14 designated cities are Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Tianjin, Nanjing, Qingdao, Chongqing, Xiamen, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Ningbo, Changsha and Wuhan.

Employees and executives of companies that have invested at least US$1,000,000 (approximately 1.33 billion KRW) in South Korea will also see their multiple-entry visas extended from five to ten years.

Officials say the move is aimed at reviving Chinese visitor demand to South Korea, which has been recovering since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Extending the validity of multiple-entry visas is especially intended to encourage repeat visits and make travel more convenient for business and commercial travelers.

China remains one of South Korea’s largest tourist markets, and the two countries have been implementing visa reforms to restore people-to-people exchanges.