South Korea offers visa-free entry to Chinese amid moves to stabilize ties

The announcement was made by Prime Minister Kim Min-seok's office at a meeting of the task force for tourism promotion policies at the government complex in the capital Seoul, according to Korea JoongAng Daily.

The visa requirements will be temporarily lifted for Chinese group tourists from Sept. 29 until the end of June next year, the announcement said.

“With Korea’s inbound tourism market recovering rapidly, the new visa waiver policy is expected to generate additional demand from Chinese tourists and contribute to revitalizing regional economies and boosting domestic demand,” the government said.

Last November, China extended the visa-free entry for Korean nationals from 15 to 30 days.

However, Seoul's latest move came after recent remarks by Foreign Minister Cho Hyun describing China as “somewhat problematic” for its neighbors.

Later, the South Korean Presidency, while clarifying the comments, said: "We're seeking to develop our bilateral relations with China based on the staunch South Korea-US alliance."

Last week, top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi also spoke with Cho ahead of his visit to Washington and urged both sides to uphold “good neighborliness.”

Wang told Cho that China and South Korea should be “genuine strategic cooperative partners” working together to elevate bilateral ties.