South Korea to make visa applications for Pinoys easier

The South Korean government is planning to make its country more accessible to Filipino tourists by making applications for visa easier, its envoy said on Sunday.

The Philippines and Korea are celebrating 70 years of diplomatic ties, which dates back when the former pledged to deploy Filipino soldiers to help in the Korean War.

During the celebration held at Quirino Grandstand earlier in the day, Korean Ambassador to the Philippines Han Dong-Man said that the two countries are hoping to forge closer diplomatic ties by instituting a free trade agreement seen to boost the economy.

"Many Koreans love the Philippines.... In particular, the Filipinos are very friendly and very hospitable. That's why 1.6 million Koreans visited this wonderful country," Han said.

He also said he will strive to have 2 million Koreans visit the Philippines in 2019. 

Han also said qualified Filipinos may be given multiple-entry visas to South Korea.

"For qualified people such the business people, media people of course, and government officers, we give them a multiple visa at least five years or 10 years with one single document saying that I'm working in this company," Han said.

"Any Filipino for visit to Korea [will be] entitled to get multiple-entry visa. The Korean government is issuing multiple-entry visa to ASEAN countries, including the Philippines, to provide convenience when visiting Korea. The government is also gradually expanding the scope of eligibility for multiple-entry," he added.

Completing the celebration was a parade held at the Quirino Grandstand, along with cultural exchange activities between the Filipinos and Koreans.

Kpop artists Pink Fantasy and M.Fect also performed during the celebration. — LA/KG, GMA News