Amid a South Korean drive to promote its still Covid-struck tourist industry, a new visa is being launched, aimed at visitors who want to train in the art of K-pop.
South Korea saw 11 million tourists in 2023, an improvement year-on-year but still 37% down on 2019’s arrivals, government data shows. Unsurprisingly, sector revenue is still down too, by 25% on 2019’s figure.
Visa negotiations
To solve this, South Korea is scrutinising its visa system for drag on growth and it is not alone. Various Southeast Asian nations have been renegotiating and easing visa requirements as the region continues to seek to recover from the impact of the pandemic’s tight travel restrictions. A Southeast Asian Schengen-style visa across Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam has even been mooted, to spread the tourist dollar.
Thailand and the Philippines made up over 20% of total visitors to South Korea last year, according to Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) figures. If that can happen despite bureaucratic visa requirements, new, more relaxed regimes across the region could be part of the answer to increased growth for the republic.
Digital working and improved immigration times
Among the South Korean measures to draw in more international visitors are the recent introduction of a digital worker visa, making it easier for remote workers to live and travel across the country for up to two years. The move is also said to be a strategic way to boost the republic’s workforce in the wake of falling birthrates.
Now, as well as making the visa application process smoother, cutting immigration time for cruise tourists, extending cruise terminal opening hours, and improving foreign language information, South Korea is bringing its popular performing arts industry to the rescue.
K-pop is big business
For the uninitiated, K-pop is a South Korean genre of pop influenced by mainstream European and Asian styles and fusing synthesized music, sharp dance routines, fashionable, colourful outfits, and often a boy/girl band format. It is such big business that even the Ministry of Finance now wants the tourist sector to tap into its potential.
The SK Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Institute of Culture & Tourism said: “#BTS’ Dynamite impact is estimated at 1.7 trillion won and creates up to 7,928 jobs due to spillover effects” pic.twitter.com/FNyXSuJhlT
— BOY GROUPS CHARTS (@kbgcharts) May 17, 2024
Would-be K-pop stars are invited to practice their art in the cradle of K-pop itself, by applying for a “K-Culture Training Visa” that will give foreigners the opportunity to train in K-pop dancing, choreography and modelling.
Announced on Monday 24 June by the Finance Ministry, the target audience for the K-culture visa may seem niche, but K-pop is cited as the number one reason for tourists to visit Korea.
