The Chinese cruise ship Quantum of the Seas is moored in the port of Incheon on May 13, 2016. The 167,000-ton vessel visited Incheon carrying 4,500 Chinese tourists. (image: Yonhap)
SEOUL, Oct. 14 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea’s government said Friday it is test operating a visa waiver program for foreign tourists entering the country via three selected cruise ships in the next six months.
The Ministry of Justice said passengers of those cruise ships — Costa Serena, Sapphire Princess and Quantum of the Seas — can enter South Korea without visas, starting this week until the end of March.
The plan aims to attract more Chinese tourists in particular as most of the cruises that arrive here depart from the neighboring country, according to the ministry.
Previously, only groups of Chinese tourists registered through travel agencies could enter the country without a visa for up to three days.
Under the new program, individual tourists can also freely enter South Korea for a maximum of 72 hours, regardless of their nationality.
The ministry expects some 317,100 foreign tourists to use the program during the trial run.
There are also concerns over potential increase in the number of illegal immigrants, especially as calls have been growing for toughened border control following a series of crimes committed by Chinese nationals.
The ministry will decide whether to fully implement the program after the six-month test run.
Any of the three ships will be deprived of the right to operate under the visa free program if 20 or more of its passengers stay in the country illegally during the test operation period, the ministry said.
(Yonhap)
