Mismanagement over travel agencies leaves Chinese travelers unaccounted for amid rising absconding cases
Published: 03 Oct. 2025, 15:55
Updated: 03 Oct. 2025, 16:00
![A group of Chinese tourists shop duty-free products at Shilla Duty Free store in Jung District, central Seoul on Sept. 29, the first day when temporary visa-free entry began. [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/10/03/456aa5a6-3454-4e7f-bd72-f9fe2ff54124.jpg)
A group of Chinese tourists shop duty-free products at Shilla Duty Free store in Jung District, central Seoul on Sept. 29, the first day when temporary visa-free entry began. [NEWS1]
The data is expected to stir controversy as some travel agencies were found to have operated without registration amid the temporary visa-free entry for Chinese nationals, which began last month.
According to data submitted to Rep. Park Jeong-ha of the conservative People Power Party, 179 travel agencies are currently registered by the ministry as official operators to organize group tours for Chinese visitors.
Of them, 34 agencies had previously received penalties or corrective orders for failing to prevent 1,352 tourists from absconding.
To minimize illegal stays and unlawful actions, Korea has operated a registration system since 1998 that only permits designated agencies to bring Chinese group travelers to the country. The registered travel agencies are mandated to report absconding tourists to immigration authorities.
The agencies face license cancellation if the quarterly rate of tourists’ unauthorized leave exceeds 5 percent. If the rate ranges between 3 and 5 percent, they can receive a suspension of one to two months. Corrective orders are given when the rate is below 3 percent.
![Chinese travelers, who arrived Korea by cruise ships, are seen in Incheon Port on Sept. 29, a day when visa-free entry scheme was implemented. [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/10/03/3d614bfe-0ef5-4e9e-9879-eaf64b256a42.jpg)
Chinese travelers, who arrived Korea by cruise ships, are seen in Incheon Port on Sept. 29, a day when visa-free entry scheme was implemented. [NEWS1]
Industry insiders contend that the system is flawed because the agencies are allowed to retain their qualification even after receiving repetitive penalties and correction orders.
The date provided to Rep. Park’s office showed that five agencies with the largest numbers of absconding tourists received penalties multiple times over the last three years.
One agency, registered in May 2023, received nine suspensions and 10 corrective orders while another, which was registered in August 2021, faced eight suspensions and 10 corrective orders.
Further controversy arose after a travel agency stripped of its license was found to be one of 140 travel agencies participating in a visa-free entry scheme by the Korean Ministry of Justice for Chinese travelers. The company was not on the Tourism Ministry’s travel-agency list, while travel agencies involved in the visa-free entry scheme must hold the Tourism Ministry's license.
The company filed an administrative lawsuit to challenge the Tourism Ministry’s cancellation. Although it is currently operating based on a provisional injunction, it is technically not on the Tourism Ministry’s list.
A Tourism Ministry official said, “Our list of 179 registered agencies is publicly available and was already provided to the Justice Ministry.”
“The designation of visa-free entry operators is under the Ministry of Justice’s jurisdiction,” the Tourism Ministry official added.
But the Justice Ministry argued that “the agency was included in the list we received from the Tourism Ministry and the approval was given based on the document provided by the Tourism Ministry.”
The remarks revealed a contrast in arguments from two different ministries managing travel and immigration.
“The safety of our citizens is more important than simply expanding the scale of inbound Chinese tourists,” Rep. Park said.
“The Tourism Ministry must thoroughly manage the system in order to prevent loopholes in the designated-agency system that lead to illegal stays and crimes — all of which are damages inflicted on Koreans. Unless the ministries take responsibility, the visa-free policy for Chinese tourists will only create distrust and confusion.”
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.
BY YANG SU-MIN [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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