The South Korean government has decided to once again allow visa-free entry into South Korea for travelers from Japan, Taiwan, Macau, and other regions, effective November 1.

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters announced on the 19th that it has decided to resume visa-free entry starting from the first of next month for the eight regions and countries, including Japan, that have granted visa-free entry to South Korean citizens. The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters received a report on the resumption of visa-free entry from the Ministry of Justice and reached this decision after discussions with relevant ministries.

This measure is in response to Japan, Taiwan, and others granting visa-free entry to South Korean citizens. In March 2020, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Japan suspended visa-free entry for South Koreans as COVID-19 spread rapidly in South Korea, and the South Korean government suspended visa-free entry for Japanese citizens as a reciprocal measure. This measure had been in place for over two years.

South Korea implemented a "temporary" visa-free entry system for Japan, Taiwan, and Macau for one month in August. On September 1, the application of this system was extended until October 31. Now, it has been fully opened to allow visa-free entry.

Regarding the resumption of visa-free entry for Japan and others, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters explained, "This is a measure taken because Japan, Taiwan, and Macau have recently granted visa-free entry to South Korean citizens, and five Pacific island nations—the Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Micronesia, Samoa, and Tonga—have also resumed visa-free entry for South Korean citizens."

Previously, starting April 13, 2020, the government had provisionally suspended visa-free entry for 91 countries and regions that had banned visa-free entry for South Korean citizens, due to the need to block the overseas influx of COVID-19 and the principle of reciprocity. For Japan, which had suspended visa-free entry for South Koreans earlier, the suspension began on March 9, 2020.

Since then, visa-free entry has been resumed for most countries. With this measure, the visa-free entry system will once again be applied to all 91 countries and regions where it was suspended due to the COVID-19 situation. There are a total of 112 countries and regions that can enter South Korea without a visa.

The entry of foreign tourists via cruise ships and sightseeing after disembarkation will also resume from the 24th of this month. Lim Sook-young, head of the situation general team at the Central Disease Control Headquarters, explained at the headquarters' regular briefing that day, "All personnel on board cruise ships entering the country must comply with quarantine guidelines, such as wearing masks in indoor shared spaces on the ship, checking health status using the Q-code upon entry, and isolating on board if there are confirmed cases or suspected symptoms."

These are English translations of articles from our GTTOUR Japanese website.