Stricter Inspections When Wearing Gold Jewelry
"Full Body Pat-Down and Bag Unpacked for Inspection"
Foreign Ministry: "Please Store in Korea Before Traveling"
As the number of Koreans traveling to Japan increases, there have been cases where travelers experience inconvenience at customs due to gold necklaces they usually wear, prompting travelers to exercise caution.
On a Naver Japan travel community with 1.42 million subscribers, numerous complaints and questions related to wearing gold products have recently been posted.
Author A said, "On the 31st of last month, when I went to Sapporo, I declared the gold necklace I was wearing through the Visit Japan Web," adding, "Then customs took me to a separate area, touched my entire body for inspection, and unpacked every bag to check."
He continued, "They followed me to the restroom as if I were a criminal, which made me feel upset," and claimed, "The customs officer kept repeating that since I brought gold, I had to pay taxes in Japan."
Eventually, after a dispute with the customs officer, A decided to pay a storage fee instead of taxes and left the gold necklace at the airport for safekeeping.
Previously, a Korean who traveled to Kumamoto for a hot spring trip was detained and investigated for about seven hours on suspicion of violating Japanese customs law for not declaring a gold necklace he usually wore. The jewelry was about 75g (20 don) of pure gold, valued at approximately 6 million KRW.
Japan requires that when carrying gold or gold products, regardless of purity, weight, or usage, travelers must declare the items on the "Declaration Form for Accompanied and Unaccompanied Articles." In particular, if the value exceeds the duty-free limit of 200,000 yen (about 1.85 million KRW), consumption tax and other taxes are imposed on the items.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs: "Please keep high-value gold products you usually wear in Korea"
In response, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on the Overseas Safety Travel website, "Recently, there have been frequent cases of inconvenience caused by enhanced inspections by Japanese customs during the entry process of our citizens into Japan," and urged, "We recommend keeping high-value gold products you usually wear in Korea before traveling."
Extra caution is needed when carrying gold or gold products with a purity of 90% or higher and weighing over 1kg. In such cases, a "Declaration Form for Payment Instruments, etc. for Carrying Export/Import" must also be submitted to customs. Failure to declare gold products such as rings, bracelets, or necklaces when bringing them into Japan may result in penalties for false declaration under Japanese customs law or confiscation of the items.
Endemic + Weak Yen Effect... Surge in Travelers to Japan
According to airline statistics, from the 1st to the 10th of this month, 89,847 people used the domestic airline route between Incheon and Narita (Tokyo).
This figure is 9.1% higher than April's 82,352 and 34.6% higher than January's 66,741 for the same period.
Various interpretations have been offered regarding Koreans' preference for traveling to Japan.
One analysis suggests that due to the overall sharp rise in domestic prices for food, public utilities, and transportation, the cost of living in Japan feels comparatively less expensive.
The weak yen effect is also cited. According to the Bank of Korea's economic statistics system, on the 8th, the won/yen exchange rate fell to 928.63 won per 100 yen. This is the lowest level in 7 years and 7 months since November 9, 2015, when it was 923.33 won.
As the yen's value continues to decline, a survey showed that living costs in Seoul recently surpassed those in Tokyo. According to a March survey of living costs in 207 cities by international human resource consulting firm ECA International, Seoul rose one rank from 10th last year to 9th, while Tokyo dropped five ranks to 10th.
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