South Korea will begin a temporary visa exemption program for Chinese tourists traveling in groups starting in late September in an effort to boost domestic spending and the tourism market, Yonhap news agency quoted government officials as saying on August 6.
The Prime Minister's Office said the decision was made at a government meeting chaired by Prime Minister Kim Min-seok on August 6, according to which Chinese tourist groups will be allowed to enter the country visa-free from September 29, 2025 to June 30, 2026.
With the Korean tourism market recovering rapidly, the implementation of the visa waiver program is expected to help boost demand to Korea, revive regional economies and boost domestic consumption, a government official said.
In addition, the government also plans to ease fast-track entry requirements for foreigners coming to Korea to attend international conferences.
Accordingly, groups allowed to do fast-track entry procedures only need to have 300 people or more instead of 500 people as at present.
The South Korean government first announced visa exemptions for Chinese tourists in March 2025, months after Beijing decided to waive visas for tourists from South Korea and other countries.
The decision also comes as relations between the two countries are expected to improve under the administration of President Lee Jae Myung.
The tourism ministry stressed that the decision to implement the measure ahead of China's national holiday in early October would help boost the domestic economy through the recovery of foreign tourists.
Previously, the ministry held a meeting to discuss measures to revive tourism ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit./.
Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/han-quoc-mien-thi-thuc-tam-thoi-cho-nhom-du-khach-trung-quoc-post1054081.vnp
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