Since the beginning of last year, South Korea has implemented a number of measures to tighten its immigration procedures, including increased screening, in-person interviews, and the need for additional documents. These changes have caused many difficulties for tourists, especially Thais. Despite being granted electronic entry permits, many Thai tourists have been turned away at the border, leaving them extremely surprised and frustrated. This has seriously affected the image of South Korea as a tourist destination.
Nikkei Asia reported on August 11 that South Korea said it was tightening immigration regulations to deal with the influx of illegal workers from Thailand into the country.
Specifically, 145,810 Thais were living without a visa or legal permit in South Korea as of the end of May, according to the Korea Times. This figure accounts for about 35.1% of the total 415,230 illegal foreign residents, much higher than other countries, including Vietnam (79,366), China (64,151), the Philippines (13,740), Indonesia (12,172) and Cambodia (10,681).
Since the beginning of last year, South Korea has implemented many measures to tighten entry procedures.
The information was released in the context that the country's strict entry requirements, especially the K-ETA (electronic travel permit) system, are believed to be the reason for the sharp decline in the number of tourists from Thailand to Korea this year.
The regulations on entry into South Korea have caused dissatisfaction among Thai tourists and the boycott wave is constantly increasing. Therefore, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of South Korea has asked the Ministry of Justice to temporarily exempt Thailand from K-ETA, at least until the end of 2024, as the country's tourism industry is redoubled efforts to reach the target of 20 million foreign tourists this year.
However, the Justice Department said a “cautious approach” was needed as such a policy change could lead to a significant increase in the number of undocumented foreigners in the country.
When problems and complaints about K-ETA emerged last November, the Justice Ministry defended its screening system, saying that about 78 percent of Thais stay in South Korea illegally and that it is its "legitimate duty" to reduce their numbers.
Because of Korea's complicated procedures, the number of Thai tourists choosing to travel to Japan and China has skyrocketed.
The trend of boycotting Korean tourism by Thai netizens began to spread on social network X in the fourth quarter of 2023. According to estimates from the Korea Tourism Organization, the number of Thais visiting Korea decreased by 21% compared to the same period last year, down to 119,000 people in the first four months of 2024.
The figure appears to be relatively modest compared to the 572,000 Thai tourists who entered South Korea in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic broke out.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Thailand was one of the top sources of tourists, along with China, Japan, the US and Taiwan. Many are concerned that the number of Thai tourists will never recover and that it will negatively affect relations between the two countries.
