Rostourism reported an increase in cases of Russian citizens being denied entry into the Republic of Korea; a corresponding message was published on the agency’s website.
“Recently, the number of Russian citizens who the immigration service of the Republic of Korea refuses entry into the country. Moreover, almost all cases of refusal concerned persons posing as tourists, but in reality trying to enter South Korea for the purpose of illegal labor activity, taking advantage of the visa-free regime established between Russia and the Republic of Korea in accordance with the intergovernmental Agreement on the mutual abolition of visa requirements of November 13, 2013," Rostourism reported.
It was also noted that this Agreement does not provide for visa-free entry for persons if the purpose of the trip is to carry out work activities, study in educational institutions or live in the territory of another state.
As Rostourism emphasized, the immigration authorities of the Republic of Korea, in order to prevent illegal labor migrants from entering the country, have recently been conducting a thorough check of documents of arriving passengers at international airports, as well as conducting a selective survey. In this case, they are asked to confirm the stated purpose of the trip and present the relevant documents - a return ticket, hotel reservations, contact information of the inviting persons and organizations, as well as an amount of money sufficient for travel around the country during the stated period of stay.
If Russian citizens cannot confirm the purpose of their visit upon entry to South Korea, then, on the basis of Article 8 of the aforementioned Agreement, the competent authorities of the Republic of Korea have the right to deny them entry. In this case, all expenses associated with waiting for deportation to their home country and purchasing a return ticket are paid by the citizen independently.
"In this regard, we would like to draw the attention of those planning to visit the Republic of Korea to the need to carefully comply with the requirements of the Russian-Korean Agreement on Visa-Free Travel. In the event of a refusal of entry by the Korean immigration authorities, issues related to the return of unaccepted citizens fall within the competence of the air carrier. The consular section of the Embassy provides assistance in clarifying the date of return," explained Rostourism.
Source: trn-news.ru
