Red tape difficulties putting tourists off visiting Korea

Concerns are rising in the Korean travel industry as the electronic travel authorization system, K-ETA, is seen as a barrier for international tourists, particularly those from Southeast Asia.

Passengers mainly consisting of foreign tourists walk by the beauty shops in Myeongdong, central Seoul.[NEWS1]

A Malaysian family dreamed of coming to Korea for a family vacation only to switch to Japan at the last minute.

This was because one of their family members was denied a Korea Electronic Travel Authorization (K-ETA).

K-ETA, an electronic travel authorization system, requires travelers from visa-free countries to obtain authorization before their entry to Korea. It was fully introduced in Sept. 2021 with the aim of streamlining foreign travelers’ entry process while countering illegal residency.

In the travel industry, concerns have risen that K-ETA complicates international travelers’ entry to Korea, becoming an obstacle holding them back.

“Southeast Asians perceive K-ETA as ‘another visa’ and their travel confidence to Korea has been weakened,” said a source from the Korean travel industry.

“Amid increasing interest towards Korea, the uncertainty in K-ETA issuance leads travel agencies in Southeast Asian countries to recommend travel deals to other countries, not Korea.”

Stricter and more thorough assessment criteria are applied to judge Southeast Asian tourists’ applications as the system is designed to prevent foreigners’ illegal stays.

According to the statistics published by the Ministry of Justice, in 2021, Thai and Vietnamese accounted for more than 54 percent of undocumented foreign nationals in Korea.

When the application is denied, there is not any explanation given for the refusal. Its three-strikes system requires inbound visitors to apply for a visa after they fail to obtain approval on three occasions.

“Visa-waiver nations such as Thailand and Malaysia have literally become non-visa free countries,” the industry source said.

Throughout the pandemic era, Southeast Asian tourists have been gaining more weight in the Korean travel and tourism industry.

In 2019, the ratio of Southeast Asian tourists accounted for 11 percent of the total inbound international travelers. The ratio went up to 26 percent last year. Specifically, travelers from the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia were ranked from fourth to eighth in that order.

As the government targets to bring 30 million international travelers, Southeast Asian tourists are of great significance.

The Korea Tourism Organization surveyed potential tourists to Korea in 24 different countries last year and the results showed that tourists from Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines and Indonesia have the strongest inclination to visit Korea.

Still, K-ETA poses a stumbling block to them.

The Ministry of Justice temporarily removed K-ETA requirement for tourists from the United States, Japan, Canada and other 19 countries, mostly Western ones or countries with advanced economies. The exemption has been effective from the last year and is scheduled to last until Dec. 2024.

The ministry left out the Southeast Asian countries from the exemption. The ministry is currently working to improve the system.

The ministry extended the K-ETA’s validity period from two years to three years and excluded people aged 17 or under, and those 65 years old and above, from K-ETA requirement in July.

Subtle racism against Southeast Asians remains unresolved. According to an analysis conducted by The Korea Tourism Organization last year, 42.7 percent of Thai tourists shared negative experiences on their social media, while only 28.2 percent of Japanese did so.

“After experiencing unpleasant happening during the immigration process, I came to dislike Korea,” said a Thai tourist named Pip Nakthong, who has visited Korea more than once annually.

“Koreans are rude and [they perceive] international tourists as the ones just spending money in Korea,” Nakthong said.

BY LEE SOO-KI, LEE SOO-JUNG [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]