Tourists take photos at Gwanghwamun in central Seoul, Feb. 21. Yonhap
Korea unveiled an ambitious package of tourism measures on Wednesday, including looser visa rules, expanded regional airport routes and a crackdown on price gouging, as part of a government effort to attract 30 million inbound visitors. The plan includes granting visa-free entry to travelers from Indonesia and expanding automated entry processing to nationals from European Union member states.
The measures were announced at the 11th National Tourism Strategy Meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Kim Min-seok and attended by ministers from 15 government agencies, along with industry representatives and tourism executives.
Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young characterized the global resonance of Korea’s cultural exports as a "golden time" for the domestic travel industry, unveiling an ambitious initiative titled "K-Tourism Embraces the World." The move comes as Seoul seeks to capitalize on a postpandemic recovery that, while significant, continues to be overshadowed by a record-breaking tourism boom in neighboring Japan.
While Korea welcomed more than 18 million inbound visitors in 2025, surpassing the prepandemic peak of 17 million and marking an increase of roughly 15 percent from 2024 — it has struggled to keep pace with Japan’s meteoric rise. Fueled by a historically weak yen, Japan saw a record 43 million arrivals in the same period, a nearly 16 percent increase year-on-year.
At the center of Korea's strategy is a significant easing of entry barriers. Indonesia will be granted visa-free entry on a trial basis for group tourists of three or more, while citizens of China and Southeast Asian nations who have previously visited Korea will become eligible for five-year multiple-entry visas. Residents of major cities in those countries can apply for 10-year visas.
The country's automated immigration gates, currently available to travelers from 18 nations including Japan, Singapore and Australia, will be expanded to cover nationals from European Union member states.
The government is also making a concerted effort to steer visitors beyond Seoul.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport plans to sharply increase direct international flights to regional airports by creating dedicated air traffic rights for those hubs and offering fee reductions to attract new routes.
Domestic connecting flights between Incheon and regional airports will be added, and late-night airport bus services — currently limited to 13 Seoul-area routes — will be extended to Chungcheong and Gangwon provinces. KTX high-speed rail tickets will also be made available for advance booking earlier than the current one-month window.
Source: Korea Times News
