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| A traveler walks past an electronic flight information board at Incheon International Airport, June 18. Yonhap |
By Lee Hae-rin
Korea plans to simplify immigration procedures for inbound travelers by extending the electronic travel authorization validity from two to three years and exempt the young and old from applying for e-travel authorization in advance.
The Ministry of Justice announced, Thursday, foreign travelers arriving from 112 countries that have an agreement with Korea on visa free entry for short visits will have their e-travel authorization validity extended from two to three years on July 3. Also, those aged under 17 or over 65 will be exempted from requiring digital authorization so they can enter the country freely.
The measure aims to encourage foreign travelers to visit Korea more easily and for longer visits, which is expected to facilitate family vacations including with underage children or elderly parents.
The measures came amid the government's goal to attract 30 million foreign travelers a year by 2027.
Travelers aged under 17 or over 65 from the 112 countries will be allowed to enter Korea without electronic travel authorization, but may apply to get it issued if they wish to go through simplified immigration procedures allowed for those with e-travel authorization, which allows them to skip filling out disembarkation cards.
The revision will apply only to those who apply for e-travel authorization after July 3.
K-ETA allows foreign visitors arriving in Korea to register their travel and health information, visit history and criminal records in advance for authorization.
The justice ministry recently added more diverse foreign language services to the K-ETA website. The website, which was only available in Korean and English, is now available in Japanese, Thai, Chinese, French and Malay, while increasing the total number of group applications from 30 to 50.
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