Beginning Sunday, the government will drastically ease visa requirements for Chinese tourists with hopes to attract more visitors from its fast-growing neighbor country.
The measure will allow employees of the top 500 Chinese companies, schoolteachers, retirees with a pension income, holders of various professional licenses and graduates of prestigious colleges and universities to freely enter Korea during a set period, the Ministry of Justice said Tuesday.
Up to now, only those who have residence in member nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), owners of platinum or gold-class credit cards and professionals, like professors and doctors, could benefit from the visa guidelines.
In addition, the government will newly issue "double-entry" visas to allow Chinese citizens to enter the country twice within a set period for tourism purposes and brief visits en route to other destinations.
The number of Chinese visitors to South Korea reached 1.2 million in 2009, up from 585,569 in 2005 and 920,250 in 2007, according to the ministry.