On the afternoon of the 1st, Japanese people were waiting overnight in front of the Consular Section of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Tokyo, Japan, to apply for Korean visas. / Photo by AP Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] With Korea-Japan tourism exchanges resuming after more than two years, long overnight lines for Korean tourist visa applications have continued for three days in Japan.
According to the Consular Section of the Korean Embassy in Japan on the 3rd, a long line of Japanese people wanting to apply for Korean tourist visas stretched in front of the Korean Consulate General in Minato-ku, Tokyo, from the night of the 31st of last month until the morning of the 3rd, lasting three nights.
Earlier, from the 1st of this month, the Korean Embassy in Japan resumed issuing tourist visas to Japanese nationals, and Japan will also resume package tour entries starting from the 10th of next month.
The consulate received 205 visa applications on the first day, and 150 applications each on the 2nd and 3rd. It was reported that about 1,000 people gathered on the first day.
Currently, in Japan, including the Tokyo Consulate General, a total of 10 consulate offices are accepting tourist visa applications. The Korean Embassy in Japan explained, "We are deploying additional embassy staff to the consular section to meet visa demand."
However, since visa screening and issuance physically take time, even with full staffing, only a limited number of applications can be accepted.
Therefore, starting next week, the Korean Embassy in Japan will differentiate the application periods based on flight schedules. This is to prevent excessive early visa applications from those with flexible travel plans, which would increase the number of people waiting.
Accordingly, those holding tickets departing between July 9 and 15 can apply a week later, from July 13 to 17. Detailed schedules will be posted on the embassy website, and visa issuance is expected to take about three weeks. For Japanese nationals, fees are waived according to the agreement.
Meanwhile, the Japanese government had suspended visa-free entry within 90 days and tourist visa issuance in 2020 to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but recently resumed visa issuance for group tours only.
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