As the Philippines and South Korea mark the 70th anniversary of their diplomatic ties Sunday, the South Korean ambassador to the Philippines said he will ease demands from Filipinos who want to visit.
Philippine Ambassador Han Dong-man said the embassy will reduce the number of documents needed for visa applications, especially for qualified experts, journalists and government officials, according to the online edition of Philstar on Monday.
Ambassador Han said, “issued visas several times for at least five or 10 years in one document that said he was working for the company for qualified people, including businesses, journalists and government officials,” Han was quoted as saying.
“All Filipinos visiting South Korea are eligible for multiple entry visas, and among the Southeast Asian countries’ confederation countries, the Philippines is the only country where multiple entry visas are allowed,” he added.
Last year, the South Korean embassy announced that visa applications would only be processed through designated travel agencies. It went into effect in July 2018. The travel agency has been processing all South Korean visa applications since July 1.
Ambassador Han added that scholarships for Filipinos will soon increase.
“As well as tourists, we want many Korean students to study in the Philippines, and we are inviting qualified and talented Filipino students, especially college students, for scholarships,” Ambassador Han said.
Ambassador Han Dong-man said this is why many South Koreans love the Philippines because it is “friendly,” adding that this is why South Korean tourists visited 500,000 people last year.
