South Korea began offering visa-free entry for Chinese tourist groups on Monday, a measure it hopes will boost the economy and help improve ties with its Asian neighbour.
As part of the pilot programme due to run through until next June, groups of three or more tourists from mainland China will be able to stay without a visa for 15 days.
The action comes ahead of China's National Day holidays from 1-8 October, as well as a run of South Korean holidays around the same time.
South Korean companies are seeking to benefit from the increased demand. Shilla Duty Free has organised a Chinese cruise tour and food delivery app Baedal Minjok is introducing payment options in Alipay and WeChat Pay.
The programme, announced in March, follows China's decision last November to offer visa exemptions to South Koreans for up to 30 days.
The last time South Korea offered mainland Chinese similar visa-free entry was from December 2017 to March 2018, coinciding with the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
The new administration of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung is hoping to further improve ties with China during an expected visit by President Xi Jinping in late October to an Asia-Pacific summit in South Korea.
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Portuguese health authorities said on Tuesday that 29 confirmed cases of mpox have been reported in the past three months, with 10 in August, three in September, and 16 in October.
The combined death toll from Typhoon Fung-wong and Typhoon Kalmaegi in the Philippines has reached 259, with 114 people still reported missing, state media says.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio may face questions from allies at a Group of Seven foreign ministers’ meeting in Canada on Wednesday (12 November)
A source has confirmed to Anewz that all bodies of the 20 victims in the Turkish Military place crash have been recovered by search teams in Georgia's Sighnaghi municipality.
Two earthquakes centered in Cyprus on Wednesday were felt across northern and central regions of Israel, raising concerns among residents in both countries. The first tremor occurred at 11:31 a.m., with the epicenter near Paphos, Cyprus, at a depth of 21 kilometers.
Georgian Interior Minister Geka Geladze has visited the site of the Turkish military helicopter crash in Sighnaghi Municipality, near the Georgia–Azerbaijan border.
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Anewz correspondent Nini Nikoleishvili reports from site of crashed Turkish military plane in Sighnaghi Municipality, saying that limited visibility and rugged terrain are slowing down recovery efforts.
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The combined death toll from Typhoon Fung-wong and Typhoon Kalmaegi in the Philippines has reached 259, with 114 people still reported missing, state media says.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio may face questions from allies at a Group of Seven foreign ministers’ meeting in Canada on Wednesday (12 November)
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G7 foreign ministers and outreach guests gathered for a family photo during a ministerial meeting in Canada on Wednesday (12 November).
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