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South Korea lures K-pop lovers, digital nomads in plan to become ‘tourism powerhouse’
- The country plans to attract 30 million visitors yearly with visas for digital nomads, K-culture enthusiasts and ‘workations’
- It will also ease rules to allow foreigners to work in hotels, and broaden its e-visa list to include tour groups from Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia
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South Korea will soon open to digital nomads and those seeking work-holiday visas as the country gears up to revitalise tourism with its greatest cultural export: K-pop.
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Under the “Visit Korea Years” five-year master plan, the government plans to attract 30 million annual visitors, including K-culture enthusiasts and digital nomads.
Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Park Bo-gyoon said the country’s K-culture juggernaut – the force behind music phenomena like BTS and hit TV shows including Squid Game – was the best tool in its arsenal to reinvigorate a sector that had been devastated by the pandemic.
“By using K-culture, an irreplaceable charm, as a weapon, we will turn South Korea into a tourism powerhouse from 2023,” Park said on Monday at a meeting between his ministry and other state agencies.
Prime Minister Han Deok-soo, who presided over the meeting, said recovery of the tourism sector was “essential to overcome current difficulties created by high inflation, high interest rates and high [US dollar-Korean won] exchange rates”.
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