Korea to ease visa issuance for Southeast Asians to cope with THAAD fallout

Korea to ease visa issuance for Southeast Asians to cope with THAAD fallout

 

Korean government disclosed it will start allowing the issuance of an electronic visa to Southeast Asian tourists from early May as part of efforts to help the local tourism industry reeling from China's ban on group trip sales to South Korea.

Tourists in Jeju Island

 

Local tourism is taking the brunt of a string of trade restrictions by Beijing that came in as an apparent revenge against Seoul's stationing of a US anti-missile defense system, or the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense on its soil. China has strongly objected to it, saying that its powerful radar will be used to monitor its own military.

 

Since March 15, all group tour sales to Korea have been banned, with Chinese cruises no longer making stopovers at local ports in Korea. The tourism industry is on the brink of losing more than half of its Chinese visitors, who make up the bulk of foreigners' spending here.

 

In a bid to stave off the economic fallout from the THAAD row, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said it will prompten the date for allowing electronic visas for tourist groups from Southeast Asia to May. It was initially planned to start in the latter half of this year.

 

The ministry said it will also allow a five-day no-visa entry for Jeju-bound Southeast Asian tourist groups who transfer at the Incheon or Gimhae airport, to provide them a chance to visit Seoul or cities in the country's southern areas.

 

It said efforts are underway to encourage local airlines to expand routes bound for Southeast Asia and Japan, while seeking to pave the way for the airlines to boost partnerships with their counterparts in the Philippines, Taiwan and Mongolia.

 

For those struggling from the Chinese trip ban, such as travel agencies and tour bus operators, the government will set aside a combined 225 billion won ($200.2 billion) in special loans and guarantees to help them deal with financial problems, the ministry said.