It’s about to become a touch easier to visit South Korea, with the government briefly waiving the need to obtain a Korea Electronic Travel Authorization (K-ETA) before entering the country. 

Between April 1st, 2023 and December 31st, 2024, visitors from more than 22 countries — including Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom — won’t have to apply for the K-ETA, which normally must be done at least 72 hours prior to departure. For countries that aren’t exempt, the K-ETA costs 10,000 Korean Won (AUD$11.48) per person. 

This change was made in celebration of Visit Korea Year 2023-2024 — a Korean Government initiative to boost tourism in the country — which will see K-pop concerts and many large-scale events centred around shopping, culture, and food, bring the country to life. 

Major K-pop concerts will take place from May through to October, with the Seoul Festa 2023 slated for April and a concert expected to be held in the port city of Busan in May. 

According to the Korea Tourism Organization, a record 17.5 million tourists visited in 2019, generating tourism revenue of USD$20.7 billion (AUD$30.7 billion). Due to the pandemic, this number plummeted to 2.5 million in 2020 before picking up again to reach 3.19 million last year.