South Korea to Grant Visa-Free Access for Indonesian Tourists

The South Korean government plans to grant visa-free access to Indonesian tourists in an effort to encourage visits and boost tourism. “Last year, 18.94 million foreign tourists visited Korea, setting a new record. To usher in an era of 30 million foreign tourists, a qualitative transformation beyond quantitative growth is necessary,” said President Lee Jae Myung at the 11th National Tourism Strategy Meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, Wednesday (25/2026), as quoted by The Chosun Daily.

Adding to the information from The Korea Times, this step is being taken as part of post-pandemic recovery efforts.

In addition, the relaxation of policies to attract foreign tourists to South Korea is also being extended to other nationalities. This includes expanding automated entry processes for citizens of member countries of the European Union.

As is known, South Korea’s automated immigration gates are currently available for tourists from 18 countries, including Japan, Singapore, and Australia.

Residents of major cities in these countries can apply for 10-year visas.

Furthermore, to achieve the target of 30 million foreign tourist visits, South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport plans to expand flight routes.

The government will significantly increase the number of direct international flights to regional airports.

The government will also create special air traffic rights for these airports and offer fee reductions to attract new routes.

In addition, late-night airport bus services – which are currently limited to 13 routes in the Seoul area – will be expanded to the Chungcheong and Gangwon provinces.

Furthermore, tickets for the KTX high-speed train will also be available for advance booking earlier than the current one-month period.