South Korea to resume visa-free entries to Jeju Island from June 1
The government of South Korea will reopen its borders at Jeju Island in order to help boost the tourism and gaming industries.
South Korea.- Authorities in South Korea have announced that they will resume visa-free entry to Jeju Island for holders of certain passports, including those from mainland China, from June 1.
All foreigners entering South Korea must be fully vaccinated and be tested for Covid-19 within 24 hours of arriving at the port of entry. Any foreigner who is unvaccinated or who tests “positive” for Covid-19 on arrival will be required to undergo a 7-day quarantine.
According to authorities, Jeju’s visa-free entry program will allow citizens of most countries, including China, to stay in Jeju for up to 30 days. The program had been suspended on February 2020 amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Due to countermeasures and travel restrictions, in 2020 and 2021, the number of arrivals was 212,767 and 48,278, respectively, down 87.7 per cent and 77.3 per cent from the previous year.
In the first quarter of 2022, the total number of overseas arrivals in Jeju Island was 10,307, an increase of 8.4 per cent when compared to the same period of 2021.
Total casino revenue was down 59.7 per cent compared to KRW2.93tn in 2019, the most recent trading year before the Covid-19 pandemic hit travel and tourism
Due to the lack of tourists, in January Jeju island was considering whether it is possible to allow its land-based casinos to provide remote gambling to foreign players as a way to help the industry recover. However, authorities ruled out the possibility of allowing South Korean nationals to gamble as they received many opinions against the idea.
