South Korea Announces Special “Hallyu Visa” For Kpop Fans
The Hallyu visa or K-culture training visa allows non-Koreans who register at local performing art academies to stay in the country for up to two years.
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South Korea has announced that there will be a new visa for enthusiasts of South Korean culture, specifically Kpop fans.
The Hallyu visa or the “K-culture training visa” allows non-Koreans who register at local performing art academies to stay in the country for up to two years.
Hallyu, which means Korean Wave, is a term referring to the global popularity of South Korea’s cultural exports through music, television dramas, films, and other arts.
South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, which spearheads this initiative, sees the arts as the “driver of K-culture for the next generation.”
In the ambitious business plan, the ministry included supporting young artists and writers as one of six key strategies to lure more visitors to the country.
The specific requirements to obtain the Hallyu visa have not been disclosed yet, but it’s expected to be announced by the second half of 2024.
Meanwhile, those who are interested in travelling and working in South Korea can enjoy the special visa for remote workers that was launched on 1 January 2024.
The digital nomad visa allows remote workers who earn at least $66,000 a year (RM305,777) to stay in South Korea for up to two years. Previously, a tourist visa only allowed a maximum of 90 days.
Once granted a visa, they can bring along a spouse and children under the age of 18.
Currently, the digital nomad visa is launched as a trial run. The government will decide later whether to make it permanent.
The influence of K-Culture on the country’s tourism efforts
Many visitors to South Korea have cited Kpop as one of the top reasons they chose to visit the country. From there, they often grew to learn more and fall in love with the K-culture, ranging from food to the movies.
The Visit Korea campaign has also effectively wielded South Korean celebrities to lure tourists. Videos such as “Challenge Korea: Hello Future” starring Squid Game actor Lee Jung-jae successfully drew in up to 142 million views on YouTube since its release six months ago.
Meanwhile, “Feel the Rhythm of Korea,” a series of more than three dozen videos featuring Kpop stars such as BTS and Blackpink to promote Korean destinations reached more than 2.1 billion views on YouTube in three years.
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