"Travel Between Korea and Japan with Only a Resident Card"... Tourism Industry Proposes to Government

KCCI Hosts Korea-Japan Tourism Cooperation Forum
Commitment to Support Simplified Immigration Procedures for Both Countries

The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry's Culture and Tourism Industry Committee proposed to the governments and parliaments of both countries to strengthen Korea-Japan tourism cooperation by simplifying immigration procedures and expanding payment infrastructure.

On the 25th, the Culture and Tourism Industry Committee of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry held the "Korea-Japan Tourism Cooperation Forum" at the KCCI Hall, where they discussed measures such as allowing travel between Korea and Japan with only a resident registration card, expanding domestic simple payment infrastructure, introducing a Korea-Japan version of the Eurail Pass, and implementing a Korea-Japan version of the Schengen Agreement.

The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry's Culture and Tourism Industry Committee proposed to the governments and parliaments of both countries to strengthen Korea-Japan tourism cooperation by simplifying immigration procedures and expanding payment infrastructure. Getty Images

Akane Kakishima, Senior Researcher at the Japan Travel Bureau (JTB), said, "Although travel between Korea and Japan has increased significantly, tourists still feel disconnected due to immigration procedures, payment infrastructure, and public transportation." She added, "Rather than aiming for complete institutional integration from the beginning, a more practical approach would be to gradually secure compatibility in areas that travelers can directly feel." She further suggested, "We should start with pilot projects that allow travel on certain routes or to specific cities between Korea and Japan using only a resident registration card instead of a passport, or by integrating payment systems."

Exterior view of the Sangui Hall, Jung-gu, Seoul. The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

A proposal was also made to mutually recognize visas between the two countries in order to attract tourists from third countries. Kim Hyungjong, a research fellow at the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute, said, "Just as the Schengen Agreement allows visa-free travel among European Union (EU) member states, if Korea and Japan sign a 'Korea-Japan version of the Schengen Agreement,' it would greatly help attract tourists from third countries who wish to visit both countries." He explained, "Based on an input-output analysis estimating the economic impact of a Korea-Japan Schengen Agreement, it is projected that the tourism balance deficit could decrease by up to 19%, and the economic growth rate could rise by approximately 0.11 percentage points."

The need to expand simple payment infrastructure was also raised. Park Beomseok, Head of International Marketing at Korea Tourism Organization, said, "Recently, the rate of repeat visits to Korea by Japanese women in their 20s and 30s, as well as the proportion of men in the same age group visiting Korea, have been rapidly increasing, making it even more important to enhance their payment convenience." He added, "If simple payment methods become more widespread, not only will payment convenience improve, but it will also enable personalized discounts and events, increasing the satisfaction of visitors to Japan."

Within the tourism industry, there were also suggestions for cooperation in transportation and exhibition sectors. Jung Hoseok, CEO of Hotel Lotte, said, "Ultimately, the key to Korea-Japan tourism cooperation is to integrate the two countries into a single tourism zone, thereby improving ease of movement and extending length of stay." He proposed building an integrated transportation and tourism system connecting Korea's KTX trains, Korea-Japan passenger ferries, and Japan's Shinkansen.

Lee Jongmyung, Head of the Industrial Growth Division at KCCI, stated, "Korea-Japan tourism cooperation is the area with the lowest hurdles and the potential to produce visible results in a short period of time, as Chairman Chey Tae-won has repeatedly emphasized in the process of implementing Korea-Japan economic solidarity." He added, "We will discuss implementation measures with the government and others to ensure tangible progress."

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