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South Korea testing visa-free entry for all cruise passengers
Thursday, 17 Oct, 2016
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South Korea said it is trialling a visa waiver program for foreign tourists entering the country by cruise ship.
The Ministry of Justice said it will be tested on just three ships over a six month period.
Those vessels are Costa Serena, Sapphire Princess and Quantum of the Seas, and the scheme will begin this week until March 2017.
The visa-free test run is targeted mainly at Chinese passengers as the ships mostly depart from China.
Under current rules only groups of Chinese cruise passengers booked through travel agencies are allowed visa-free entry for up to three days.
The trial will allow individual travellers of any nationality to enter without a visa.
The ministry expects more than 300,000 passengers to use the program.
Once the six-month test is complete the ministry will decide whether to implement it permanently, it said.
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