South Korea's visa-free entry to Chinese group tourists to enhance tourism, service: Korean Air executive

South Korea's 15-day visa-free entry policy for Chinese tour groups will enhance the tourism and service sectors in both countries, said Yohan Park, managing vice president of Korean Air's China Regional Headquarters.

The visa exemption policy, aimed at boosting local tourism, will be in effect for nine months, from Sept 29, 2025 to June 30, 2026.

The South Korean prime minister's office expects the visa-free policy to bolster economic demand in the country and aid the recovery of the local tourism market.

In an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Park noted that the visa-free policy will deliver long-term advantages for the tourism and service industries.

"To the Chinese people, I would like to say: we hope you experience the warm hospitality and K-culture in South Korea. And to the South Korean people, I would like to say: China is close and surprisingly new. We hope you experience it by yourself," said Park.

"I believe that visa exemption for group tourists is a policy that accelerates Chinese group travel to South Korea. In the short term, this will increase the number of travelers, and in the medium to long term, I see it leading to enhanced competitiveness of tourism infrastructure," he said.

The policy will also benefit the aviation sector, as Chinese tourists occupy a big portion of South Korean tourism industry, said Park.

"The Chinese market is the largest and steadily growing market. If more customers start traveling, it will lead to an increase in premium demand and repeat demand in the long term, and will have a positive effect on the overall tourism and service industries centered on aviation," he said.

China has unilaterally granted visa-free entry to South Korean citizens since November last year, and data showed that people-to-people exchanges between China and South Korea have since grown rapidly.

South Korea's visa-free entry to Chinese group tourists to enhance tourism, service: Korean Air executive

South Korea's visa-free entry to Chinese group tourists to enhance tourism, service: Korean Air executive

A proposed bill on the management of the Strait of Hormuz has entered the review stage at Iran's Supreme National Security Council and will be submitted to parliament for debate and voting after final conclusions are reached, Iran's semi-official Mehr News Agency reported on Wednesday.

No details about the bill's contents were disclosed.

According to the report, work on the legislation has been underway for some time. In addition to the parliamentary review process, several specialized parliamentary committees have participated in studying and assessing the proposal, including the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, the Construction Committee, and the Councils and Internal Affairs Committee.

The report said the committees and several lawmakers had previously submitted separate proposals and drafts. Following a process of coordination and consolidation, a unified text has been prepared and is awaiting further review.

Iran moves forward with review of Strait of Hormuz management legislation: media