Korea, China Eye Visa-free Travel From Next Year

Korea and China could adopt a visa-free policy for tourists as early as next year.

In addition, public holidays that fall on a weekend day could be changed to weekdays to increase the number of three-day weekends.

This was presented yesterday in a tourism strategy briefing to President Lee Myung-bak on 44 specific tasks by nine ministries, including the Office of the Prime Minister, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Ministry, the Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry, the Education, Science and Technology Ministry, and the Public Administration and Security Ministry.

The briefing was given in the third meeting on boosting the competitiveness of the Korean tourism industry at Yongpyeong Tourism Complex in Pyeongchang County, Gangwon Province.

Given Shanghai’s hosting of the World Expo between May and October next year, Korea and China will seek to introduce reciprocal visa-free travel in phases. The Korean ministries of culture, justice and foreign affairs said they will devise a measure by year’s end to allow Chinese tourists deemed to have little chance of an illegal stay in Korea to enter the country without a visa for up to 30 days.

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