Chinese tourists shop at a store in the Shilla Duty Free Shop in Jeju, South Korea on July 9, 2025. Photo: Liu Yang/GT

South Korea will grant visa-free entry to Chinese group tourists for nine months beginning in late September as part of efforts to boost local tourism, the prime minister's office said Wednesday.

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok presided over a meeting to revitalize domestic tourism, deciding to allow Chinese group tourists to be exempted from visas from Sept. 29 this year to June 30 next year.

The prime minister's office expected the visa-free policy to bolster domestic demand by boosting additional demand to visit the Asian country, with the local tourism market recovering rapidly.

Chinese Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Dai Bing said on social media on Wednesday that the decision is good news for Chinese travelers visiting South Korea. China has unilaterally granted visa-free entry to South Korean citizens since November last year, and data showed that people-to-people exchanges between China and South Korea have since grown rapidly.

"As close neighbors, frequent exchanges between the two peoples help enhance mutual understanding and deepen friendship," Dai said.

Effective from November 8, 2024 to December 31, 2025, China allows people from nine countries - Slovakia, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Andorra, Monaco, Liechtenstein and South Korea - to visit China visa-free for tourism, business, family visits and transit, Xinhua reported in November 2024.  

South Korea's decision to introduce the measure ahead of China's National Day holidays in October will help boost the domestic economy amid a recovery in foreign visits, the South Korean tourism ministry said, Reuters reported.


Travel searches surge

Following South Korea's announcement of the visa-free policy, a travel index on Chinese travel platform Qunar.com showed that within half an hour after the news was released, the search volume for destinations in Seoul on the Qunar platform surged by 70 percent, peaking at a 1.2-fold increase, the platform told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Based on international flight and hotel booking volumes for this summer, South Korea has consistently been among the top three most popular destinations for Chinese travelers. With the support of the group visa-free policy, South Korea's popularity is expected to rise steadily in the second half of the year, the platform said.

Data from Tongcheng Travel shows that as of 3 pm on Wednesday, the search volume for group tour products to South Korea during the National Day holidays on the platform increased by more than 60 percent compared with the previous day.

Data from Trip.com Group shows that as of Wednesday, the number of outbound travel orders from Chinese mainland tourists to South Korea has increased by 31 percent year-on-year since the start of this year. South Korea ranks the third among outbound travel destination countries, after Japan and Thailand.

South Korea's introduction of the visa-free policy at this time is a reciprocal move and an important mutually beneficial measure. This initiative is likely to further promote in-depth tourism cooperation between China and South Korea, and it is crucial for South Korea to boost its tourism market as China remains the primary source of foreign tourists for South Korea, Lü Chao, a Korean Peninsula affairs expert at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

The policy is timely, especially as South Korea's economy is facing multiple challenges, including the impact of US tariffs. Against this backdrop, promoting service sectors such as tourism and sightseeing will help stimulate consumption and drive economic growth, so attracting Chinese tourists is an important consideration, Da Zhigang, director of the Institute of Northeast Asian Studies at the Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Shares in South Korean department stores, casinos, hotels and beauty product makers rallied on hopes of a boost from Chinese demand. Hyundai Department Store shares jumped 7.1 per cent, Hotel Shilla rose 4.8 percent, casino operator Paradise climbed 2.9 percent and Hankook Cosmetics surged 9.9 percent, according to Reuters.

Chinese tourists have long occupied an important position in South Korea's tourism market. In 2024, some 4.6 million Chinese travelers visited South Korea, accounting for 28.1 percent of the 16.3 million inbound visitors, the Korea Times reported in February, citing figures from Korea Tourism Organization. 


Pragmatic approach 

Beyond boosting tourism, South Korea's visa-free policy for Chinese groups signals that the South Korean government hopes to improve relations with China and promote pragmatic diplomacy, experts said.

Relaxing visa requirements for Chinese tour groups is practical as well as a concrete action to develop friendly China-South Korea relations, since people-to-people exchanges can enhance mutual understanding between countries, Lü said.

It also creates an opportunity for the warming of China-South Korea relations, especially against backdrop of South Korean politicians' recent remarks concerning bilateral relations, Da said.

In the interview with the Washington Post published on Sunday, South Korea's Foreign Minister Cho Hyun claimed that Seoul has become "rather alert to China's rise and its challenges," while also expressing the desire to maintain a good relationship with China. 

In response to Cho's remarks, the South Korean's Presidential Office said on Tuesday that "even if there are disagreements on some issues between Korea and China, we will continue to strive to create a Korea-China relationship that contributes to the people's livelihood and regional stability and prosperity," according to South Korean media Chosun Biz.

The Chinese Embassy in South Korea said on Tuesday that strengthening friendly cooperation is in the best interests of China and South Korea and their peoples.

The Chinese Embassy in South Korea said in the statement that China and South Korea are important neighbors and cooperative partners, and strengthening friendly cooperation is in the best interests of the two countries and their peoples. Since the inauguration of South Korea's new administration, China and South Korea have actively engaged with each other, leading to a positive start in bilateral relations.