Indonesian Ambassador in Seoul Deplores Indonesian Nationals who Fled to Take Advantage of the Group Visa-Free Facility

SEOUL - The Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to South Korea, Cecep Herawan, asked Indonesian citizens (WNI) to comply with South Korea's strict rules regarding visa facilitation.

This appeal followed reports of Indonesian citizens who had the audacity to flee the group after arriving in the Gingseng State.

The individuals took advantage of the group tourist visa-free facility which was just implemented on May 28. This is considered a stumbling block in the midst of the Indonesian government's hard efforts which are encouraging the implementation of full visa-free for Indonesian citizens.

"We are urged a lot to have visa-free, but it turns out that when there is a little relaxation, there are people who take advantage of it to run away and become illegal migrants in Korea. This is a challenge for us," said Ambassador Cecep, quoted from ANTARA, Wednesday, June 10.

Cecep explained that the visa facilitation for tourist groups with a minimum of three members is a concrete implementation of the results of the agreement between President Prabowo Subianto and South Korean President Lee Jae-Myung last April.

The agreement aims to strengthen people-to-people contact between the two countries.

After the agreement, the Indonesian Embassy in Seoul continues to actively encourage the simplification of entry permit management to facilitate access for Indonesian citizens to South Korea, and vice versa.

However, the irresponsible actions of this Indonesian citizen are feared to tarnish Indonesia's credibility in the eyes of local authorities.

Ambassador Cecep hopes that this escape case will be the first and last. He asked all elements of Indonesian citizens to maintain the trust that has been given for the smooth running of diplomacy in the future.

"So that the trust from the government, the Korean authorities, that these Indonesian visitors can really comply with the provisions that have been set together. If we jointly maintain it, it will be easier, not only to Korea. Of course, how Indonesian citizens can freely and without difficulty, without a long process, can visit friendly countries," he continued.

Based on data from the Indonesian Embassy in Seoul, the trend of mobility of tourists between the two countries actually shows a very positive graph.

In 2025, the number of South Korean tourists visiting Indonesia will reach 500 thousand people, while the number of Indonesian visits to Korea is in the range of 350 thousand people.

This surge is also supported by increasingly competitive direct air connectivity, including the arrival of low-cost airline T'way Air which opened new routes last month.

In addition, the two countries are now focusing on developing the sustainable tourism sector through the Korea Partnership Initiative for Sustainable Tourism (KOPIST) program to build a strong regional tourism cooperation.