South Korea’s government announced on Wednesday (August 6) that starting from the end of September, a temporary visa-free entry policy will be implemented for tour groups from China to promote overseas travel to South Korea before the Asia-Pacific summit.
According to the South Korean Prime Minister’s Office, starting from September 29, members of Chinese tour groups will be allowed visa-free entry into South Korea, with the policy valid until June 30 next year.
This marks the first time South Korea has allowed visa-free entry for Chinese tour groups, regardless of the entry point. Previously, only Jeju Island offered such services, allowing group tourists to stay visa-free for up to 30 days.
A South Korean government official stated, “With the rapid recovery of the inbound tourism market in Korea, the implementation of this visa-free policy is expected to stimulate demand for travel to Korea, revitalize the regional economy, and boost domestic consumption.”
Last November, Beijing announced a unilateral visa-free policy for South Korean citizens, allowing them to stay in China for up to 15 days until the end of this year.
According to data from the Korea Tourism Development Bureau cited by the Korea Herald, Chinese citizens constitute the largest group of overseas tourists to South Korea, with around 2.5 million arrivals in the first half of this year.
In the first half of 2025, South Korea welcomed 8.88 million foreign visitors, a 14.6% increase compared to the previous year, exceeding the 5% rise from the same period in 2019 before the pandemic. However, this still falls short of the government’s annual target of 30 million visitors.
Stock prices of South Korean department stores, casinos, hotels, and cosmetic manufacturers soared in response. Hyundai Department Store saw a 7.1% increase in stock price, Lotte Hotel rose by 4.8%, casino operator Paradise by 2.9%, and South Korean cosmetics company surged by 9.9%.
Following a meeting to discuss measures to boost the tourism industry ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, the South Korean Ministry of Tourism announced that this policy will be introduced before the Chinese long holiday in early October, aiming to boost the domestic economy amidst the recovery of international tourist arrivals.
South Korea is set to host the APEC summit in the southeastern city of Gyeongju from October 31 to November 1, where leaders from 21 economies will attend the summit.
However, some industry insiders remain cautious. The sluggish Chinese economy and increasingly fierce competition from neighboring tourist destinations such as Japan and Taiwan are seen as potential obstacles.
On Wednesday, the South Korean government also announced it will expand the scope of the fast-track entry lane to facilitate the entry of foreign participants attending international conferences in South Korea. Now, individuals participating in the “300 Foreign Participants Events” can use the fast-track entry lane, which previously had a threshold of 500 people.