The Korea Herald website, citing a source from the South Korean Ministry of Justice, reported that the South Korean authorities are unlikely to waive the K-ETA to the Thais, despite the decline in the number of Thai tourists in South Korea.
Such a move has occurred. Behind South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism The Korean Ministry of Justice has requested that Thais be temporarily exempted from the K-ETA at least until the end of this year. After the number of Thai tourists decreased by 21.1% in the first 4 months of this year. Compared to the same period of the previous year
However, the South Korean Justice Ministry has no plans to consider relaxing the K-ETA requirements for Thai people, citing the reason that South Korean authorities still need to be stricter towards countries of origin with large numbers of illegal immigrants.
Meanwhile, a South Korean Justice Ministry official revealed that South Korean officials are aware that some Thai tourists are unhappy about their K-ETA applications being rejected, resulting in their inability to travel to Korea. But he defended the system, saying that the problem “only occurred during the early stages of K-ETA’s use” and that the system is currently “stable enough that it does not pose an obstacle to those who want to travel to Korea.”
By InfoQuest News Agency (June 25, 2024)
Tags: K-ETA, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Culture, Tourism, Tourists, South Korea, Thailand