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Cruise ship visitors eligible for immediate internal tax refunds starting next week

Published: 03 Apr. 2026, 19:56

Le Soleal, Korea’s first cruise ship linked with air and rail travel and homeported in Busan, arrives at the Yeong-do Cruise Terminal at Busan Port on March 24. [YONHAP]

Foreign tourists visiting Korea on cruise ships will be able to receive a refund of internal taxes on goods purchased at local duty-free stores starting next week, the customs agency said Friday.

Cruise tourists can either receive immediate refunds at the point of sale at some 23,000 duty-free stores across the country, or at downtown service centers, starting next Monday, the Korea Customs Service said.

Korea allows foreign tourists to receive refunds on the value-added tax and individual consumption tax in the price of goods purchased at local retail stores.

But tourists visiting Korea by cruise ship are known to have difficulty accessing such benefits due to their relatively short travel time, according to officials.

Around 810,000 tourists visited Korea via cruise ships in 2024, according to data from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.

Yonhap