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South Korea axes visa barriers for Indonesians in 30 million visitor drive
Citizens of China and Southeast Asian nations who have previously visited the country can apply for multiple-entry visas of up to 10 years
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South 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, which includes granting visa-free entry to Indonesian travellers and expanding automated entry processing to nationals from European Union member states, was announced at the 11th National Tourism Strategy Meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Kim Min-seok.
Characterising the global resonance of South Korea’s cultural exports as a “golden time” for the domestic travel industry, Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young unveiled an ambitious initiative titled “K-Tourism Embraces the World”.
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The move comes as Seoul seeks to capitalise on a post-pandemic recovery that, while significant, continues to be overshadowed by a record-breaking tourism boom in neighbouring Japan.
While South Korea welcomed more than 18 million inbound visitors in 2025, surpassing the pre-pandemic peak of 17 million and marking an increase of roughly 15 per cent from 2024 – it has struggled to keep pace with Japan’s meteoric rise.
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