What’s fueling surge in South Koreans traveling to China?

People walk past the Oriental Pearl Tower at the financial district of Lujiazui in Shanghai, March 5. AFP-Yonhap

A new wave of South Korean content creators is descending on Chinese cities, cameras in hand, transforming the streets of Shanghai, Shenzhen and beyond into lively backdrops for travel vlogs and lifestyle videos.

Dubbed the “Korean v-blogger influx” by some online users, their ranks have swelled since China extended its unilateral visa-free policy for South Korean passport holders for another year, allowing stays of up to 30 days for tourism, business and family visits.

Introduced in 2024 and extended in November last year, the measure has lowered a major barrier for short-term travellers and creators from South Korea.

And thanks to the two countries’ geographical proximity and warmer diplomatic relations of late, the friendlier visa rules have contributed to a noticeable boom in people-to-people exchanges.

According to official figures, about 3.16 million South Korean visitors travelled to China in 2025, up 36.9 per cent from 2024 and the highest growth rate among major outbound destinations for South Koreans.

In January alone, more than 300,000 South Korean visitors entered China – up 48 per cent year on year, according to South Korea’s Ministry of Justice.

Popular destinations include Shanghai for its cosmopolitan vibe and shopping, Shenzhen for its technological advances and entrepreneurial energy, and interior places like Chengdu and Zhangjiajie for their cultural and natural attractions.

Some vloggers have documented everything from street food adventures and local interactions to the vast scale of the country’s infrastructure, often highlighting surprising similarities or intriguing differences in daily life.

South Korean YouTuber Heechulism, whose channel has 1.2 million subscribers, was among those riding the wave. In a widely shared video, he expressed surprise at everyday sights in Shenzhen, exclaiming “Wow, Shenzhen has McDonald’s!”

He also filmed a ride in a driverless electric taxi and came away impressed by the city’s tech advances. He noted how its taxi fleet, once dominated by Hyundai models, had largely shifted to Chinese brands such as BYD.

Another creator, YouTuber NakANG, with 238,000 subscribers, captured local cuisine during a trip to Chengdu in southwestern Sichuan province.

At one restaurant, he enthusiastically shouted “yummy” while enjoying a bowl of noodles and marvelled at a hi-tech washroom display showing which stalls were occupied.

Many vloggers voiced amazement at China’s seamless mobile payment culture, though some initially needed help from friends or friendly locals to use the system.

Others commented on daily conveniences and costs, praising destinations for their clean streets, efficient hi-speed rail networks and surprisingly affordable upscale dining that often exceeded their expectations.

A person stands at a park near a central business area at dusk, in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China, March 18. Reuters-Yonhap

Park Dae-il, a South Korean vlogger who has lived in China for seven years and amassed about 550,000 followers across various platforms, confirmed the rising interest.

“The trend is real. South Korean v-bloggers are flocking to China after the China-Korea visa exemption,” Park said.

“I have several friends who create travel or lifestyle content, and after the visa-free policy came out, more than one told me they planned to go to China to shoot a few episodes. Some are driven by [online] traffic. China-related content has indeed been getting a lot of response on Korean platforms recently.”

“Others are genuinely interested in Chinese culture or the business environment and are exploring possibilities for collaboration or entrepreneurship,” he said.

“On the entrepreneurship side, I’ve heard some have gone to Shanghai or Shenzhen to assess their prospects. Many Korean creators haven’t yet explored all parts of China, so more should continue to visit in the future. The window has opened and everyone wants to take a look inside.”

The surge comes amid a broader stabilisation in Chinese-South Korean relations throughout 2025 and into 2026.

High-profile trips, including South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s state visit to Beijing in early January, emphasised boosting trade and cultural exchanges.

This came after years of earlier strains, including the lingering effects of a 2017 dispute over South Korea’s decision to host a US missile defence system to protect against North Korean threats.

China began expanding its visa-free policy in 2023 to bring back foreign tourists and business travellers after nearly three years of strict coronavirus pandemic controls.

As a result, passportholders of 79 countries can now enter China without a visa. Of these, 50 benefit from unilateral visa-free access granted by Beijing, while the rest enjoy reciprocal arrangements.

The policy has proved a powerful catalyst not only for tourism but also for increasing China’s soft power.

According to data from the National Immigration Administration, China recorded 30.08 million visa-free entries in 2025, representing nearly three-quarters of all foreign arrivals and an increase of more than half from 2024.

Meanwhile, Chinese internet users have enthusiastically shared many of the South Korean vlogs on domestic platforms such as Bilibili, often commenting on the gap between the creators’ recent perceptions and their long-held stereotypes.

“Thanks to the warmer ties, there’s more chance for us to explore what we didn’t know about each other,” one commenter said.

Read the article at SCMP.