The Korean government said Sunday it would waive visas for foreign travelers planning to visit the southern resort island of Jejudo via Gimpo International Airport in Seoul, as part of its efforts to boost tourism.
According to officials at the Justice Ministry, foreigners bound for Jejudo Island will be allowed to stay for five days without a tourist visa starting next month if they make a transfer at Gimpo ― the seventh-largest Korean airport, some 15 kilometers west of Seoul. It has been designated a visa-waiver airport for foreigners in transit, the authorities said.
As part of the efforts to attract more tourists, the government has waived visas for foreigners transferring from other Korean cities to Jejudo Island since May 2013. Starting with Incheon and Gimhae, the policy expanded to four other airports including those in Daegu and Cheongju last year, officials said.
The visa waiver at Gimpo is expected to draw more visitors, especially group tourists from China who wish to travel to Seoul and near by cities, the authorities said.
Since the visa waiver program went into effect, the number of visitors has surged, they added.
From April to August in 2014, the number of Chinese travelers transferring from local cities to Jejudo Island surged by about 50 percent on average, public data showed.
In the case of Yangyang International Airport in Gangwon Province, the number of visitors from the neighboring country recorded about 59,000 last year, jumping by 470 percent, officials said.
As part the measures to provide more convenience for visitors, the ministry also said that it would accept online visa applications. In order to get a visa, foreign visitors currently have to visit Korean embassies in their countries.
In the meantime, the authorities said they would also tighten checks to stop entry by criminals.
The Justice Ministry will expand the passengers’ identity check process before boarding to prevent the entry of criminals, officials said.
Foreigners who provide false information for the stay permit will be sentenced to a three-year jail term or fined up to 20 million won ($18,000) along with deportation.
Calls for a stronger punishment have mounted, as the maximum fine for falsely filling out the stay permit form is just 500,000 won ($460).
By Lee Hyun-jeong (rene@heraldcorp.com)
