South Korea opens wider doors for Indonesian tourists. Starting Thursday, Indonesian group tourists can enter South Korea without a visa for a temporary period.
However, this facility does not apply to all Indonesian travelers. Visa-free is only given to a tourist group containing a minimum of three people and through a registered mechanism.
Quoted from Yonhap, Thursday, May 28, the South Korean Ministry of Justice stated that group tourists from Indonesia can stay in South Korea without a visa for a maximum of 15 days. This program is valid from Thursday to the end of December this year.
The policy is part of South Korea's strategy to attract more foreign tourists. The decision was made after the government loosened visa and entry permit requirements at a tourism strategy meeting led by President Lee Jae Myung in February.
For South Korea, foreign tourists are not just a matter of vacation. They also bring shopping, fill hotels, buy food, use transportation, and enliven tourist centers.
The Korean Immigration Service estimates that this temporary visa-free program can help lift the national tourism industry.
But Seoul is still putting up fences. The South Korean government requires local travel agencies to register their list of tourists on the official government website no later than 24 hours before arrival.
The list will be examined by the Ministry of Justice. The South Korean government will screen whether there are people considered to be high-risk, including those who have lived illegally or are subject to entry restrictions.
Those who fall into this category cannot enjoy visa-free facilities.
Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho said the government would work with relevant ministries to ensure the program would encourage domestic consumption, without neglecting the order of foreign residents' residence permits.
For Indonesian tourists, the news is interesting. South Korea is giving ease. But this is still not a personal visa-free. The requirement is to depart in a group, recorded through a travel agency, and have a clean immigration record.
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