The Republic of Korea (ROK) is planning to roll out new promotions in the coming months to cater to the growing number of Chinese visitors, an official with the ROK Tourism Organization said on Monday.
Two-way tourism between China and the ROK has significantly benefited from policy support by both countries in recent years.
The number of visitors from the ROK surged after China introduced visa-free entry for ROK passport holders in November 2024, with Shanghai and its neighboring cities becoming top destinations. At the end of September 2025, the ROK implemented a temporary visa-free policy for Chinese tour groups lasting nine months as a positive response to China's unilateral visa exemption for ROK visitors.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) in Shanghai, Lee Yong, director of the ROK Tourism Organization's Shanghai Office, offered her insights into the growing exchange between the two countries.
"As of the end of November 2025, some 5.09 million Chinese tourists had visited the Republic of Korea, reaching about 92 percent of the pre-pandemic 2019 level. Meanwhile, flying to Shanghai after work on Fridays has become a growing trend among young Koreans," she said.
From January to September of 2025, the ROK was Shanghai's top source of international visitors, with the number of trips to the city reaching over 620,000, an increase of 121 percent year on year.
ROK President Lee Jae Myung arrived in Shanghai on Tuesday as part of a state visit to China from January 4 to 7. According to Lee Yong, the Korean travel industry is eager to see closer ties and cooperation between the countries, especially ahead of the Spring Festival, a major holiday for both China and the ROK.
"Overall, President Lee Jae Myung's visit to China is expected to help rebuild bilateral trust, strengthen exchanges, and further boost Chinese travel demand to Korea. During the nine-day Spring Festival holiday from February 15 to 23, 2026, Chinese tourist arrivals are likely to increase. In response, the Korea Tourism Organization plans to launch promotional activities under the 'Spring Festival All-Korea Pass' in the first quarter of 2026 to accommodate this anticipated surge in travel," she said.
ROK to draw more Chinese tourists through new promotions: official
ROK to draw more Chinese tourists through new promotions: official
The Republic of Korea (ROK) government led by Lee Jae Myung is moving away from a value-centered diplomacy grounded in a strong alliance with the U.S. toward a more pragmatic China policy based on national interests, which is a welcome change, a ROK professor said.
Lee concluded his first four-day state visit to China on Wednesday after taking office in June 2025, signaling a renewed effort to deepen ties between the ROK and China as the two sides signed a series of cooperation agreements reflecting mutual interests in strengthening economic and diplomatic relations.
Moon Chung In, a professor of Yonsei University and former special advisor to the ROK president for unification, security and foreign affairs, said the incumbent ROK administration is betting on pragmatic diplomacy to navigate the storm of a volatile geopolitical landscape.
"President Lee Jae Myung has been championing pragmatic in our diplomacy based on national interest, not on value. He rejects the whole 'Manichean' [view of a] dualism of good and evil in doing foreign policy. And also he emphasized the importance of seeking truth from facts. China is near and powerful and very prosperous. Therefore, we have to maintain very good relations with China," he said.
Moon believes Lee's pragmatic diplomacy will guide his administration to manage relations with neighboring countries from a practical, national interests-based perspective.
"He has been pursuing the policy of strategic empathy. He always wanted to put himself in other's shoes so that we can have a better understanding, so that we can avoid misunderstanding while building trust with each other. I think that is the kind of approach he has undertaken since his inauguration. Therefore, from his pragmatic diplomacy point of view, China is a very, very important partner for South Korea," he said.
Lee seeks to brand himself and his administration as centrist and pragmatic, representing a significant departure from former ROK President Yoon Suk Yeol's value-based diplomacy.
"I would say there's a kind of paradigm shift in our foreign policy, getting away from the blind obsession with value while pursuing the maximization of national interest through mutual respect. That is one of the fundamental changes in foreign policy of South Korea. Therefore, in this sense, Lee Jae Myung's foreign policy is very well taken," Moon said.
ROK shifts away from value-based diplomacy toward pragmatic China policy: professor
