South Korea Set To Introduce Digital Nomad And Culture Training Visa Programs

According to The Korea Times, the South Korean government has declared its intention to increase visa benefits in an effort to attract 20 million foreign tourists and generate $24.5 billion in tourism revenue the following year.

The South Korean government is planning to expand the range of electronic visa fee waivers available to tour groups. In the meantime, according to VisaGuide.World, South Korea will introduce a K-culture training visa and a digital nomad visa (workaction) in 2024 for foreign nationals who wish to learn more about the country’s culture.

Travelers from Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines will be eligible for the expansion of electronic visa fee waivers, and the application period will be extended until the following year.

A similar measure was taken by the South Korean authorities in September this year to attract more visitors from China, which was previously required to apply for an electronic visa.

Young foreigners who are interested in Korean content and want to learn more about the nation’s entertainment industry can apply for a K-culture training visa.

With a “workcation” or digital nomad visa, an individual can live and work in Korea for a maximum of two years while maintaining employment in their home country.

In an effort to boost inbound tourism, the South Korean government has also scheduled additional events. In order to allow arriving tourists to utilize payment methods from their home countries, they plan to integrate international mobile payment options into their stores.

Additionally, the government is creating a mobility application that is only intended for visitors from abroad. Bus, train, and taxi reservations will be made easier with the help of this app. The current navigation service is being developed with an English version in mind.

The nation is already seeing a rise in visitors, which is expected to break all pre-pandemic records for both visitor numbers and revenue. The year 2019 (prior to the Covid-19 pandemic) saw 17.5 million foreign visitors and $20.7 billion in revenue in South Korea.

Despite efforts to expand the already expanding tourism industry, South Korea is grappling with a labor shortage in this field. A survey carried out by the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute indicates that there is still a 23 percent workforce vacancy rate in the tourist accommodation sector. Sixty percent of companies in this industry say that hiring process advertisements take longer than a month to run.

One of the strongest passports in the world is issued by South Korea. As of December 2023, South Korean passports are ranked 27th in the world by the VisaGuide Passport Index. This suggests that holders of such a passport are allowed to enter 148 countries without a visa.