South Korean passport power ranks 2nd with visa-free access to 188 countries
A new Henley Passport Index report says South Koreans can enter 188 destinations visa-free or with visa on arrival, tying the country for second worldwide.
A traveler walks inside the Incheon International Airport's Terminal 1 with a South Korean passport in hand on July 1, 2024.
NEWS1
South Korea's passport ranked among the world's most powerful for global mobility, according to a report released Tuesday.
South Korean citizens can enter 188 countries visa-free or with visa-on-arrival access, placing the country second in The Henley Passport Index's 20th-anniversary report, published by global citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley & Partners.
Singapore topped the ranking with access to 192 countries. Japan and the United Arab Emirates tied with Korea for second place. Since the index was first compiled in 2006, the number of visa-free destinations has grown by 73 for Korea, 60 for Japan and 153 for the UAE.
The United States, which topped the index when it launched in 2006, has fallen to 10th place with access to 180 countries. Factoring in countries tied for higher rankings, 36 countries now outrank the United States, putting it effectively at 37th. The report attributed the decline partly to the United States not receiving the visa-free access to China that other Western developed nations have obtained. Foreign media outlets described the finding as a sign that U.S. passport power has diminished from its former standing.
Afghanistan ranked last with access to just 22 countries. North Korea placed 97th with access to 35 countries, grouped with Nepal, Somalia, Yemen and Syria among the lowest ranked passports.
The report also examined the relationship between passport power and the Institute for Economics and Peace's Global Peace Index, finding that a country's level of conflict and peace generally correlates with its passport strength, though with exceptions. The United States, ranked 134th on the peace index, and Israel, ranked 149th, both currently at war with Iran, placed 10th and 18th respectively on the passport index — evidence, the report said, that passport power isn't determined by a country's peace ranking alone.
BY KO SEUNG-PYO [[email protected]]
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
