U.S. President George W. Bush Friday will announce South Korea's entry into the Visa Waiver Program, which allows Korean citizens to stay in the U.S. for up to 90 days without visas, and vice versa, Yonhap News reported quoting officials in Washington Thursday.

South Korea is among seven countries to join the program, which already has 27 member states, an official said. The other six are Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, all of which belong to North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

South Korea began issuing electronic passports in August as a precondition for entry into the much-awaited program, which is expected to reduce long lines in front of the U.S. embassy in Seoul to get U.S. entry visas.

The program will likely take effect in mid-November, when Seoul and Washington sign an agreement on crime and terrorism prevention.

Those who plan to study, cover news stories or seek employment or a permanent stay are not subject to the program, and thus are required to get relevant visas for entry, according to the officials.

South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan visited Washington last month to agree on the exchange of information on suspected criminals, removing the last hurdle to South Korea's entry.

Yu met with Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff at that time on providing criminal records of a limited number of suspects so immigration authorities in each country could access such information automatically at airports.

The minister said the automatic inquiry system is reciprocal and involves provision of information on certain types of crimes involving only a small number of people.

Bush and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak agreed in April to implement the VWP by the end of the year.