Illegal OFWs hinder visa-free policy for Filipinos in South Korea
Published Nov 24, 2019 12:00 am
By Argyll Cyrus Geducos
BUSAN, South Korea---Korean Ambassador to the Philippines Han Dong-man said that the South Korean government cannot allow Filipinos to enter South Korea visa-free for now because of the increasing number of undocumented Filipino workers in their country.
Korean Ambassador to the Philippines Han Dong-Man (PCOO)
Han made the statement ahead of President Duterte's visit here for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-Republic of Korea (ASEAN-ROK) Monday.
In an interview, Han said that he was hoping for more Filipinos to be able to come to Korea but said this is unlikely to happen soon because of the number of Filipinos illegally staying here.
"We hope that in the future we can have a free-visa policy. But so far, there are a certain number of illegal Filipinos," he said.
According to Han, there are around 15,000 undocumented Filipino workers in South Korea and the figure kept on ballooning every year.
The envoy also explained that foreign workers are given four years to stay in South Korea but some of them are tempted to stay illegally because of their higher income.
"They are entitled to stay for four years and six months but they could apply one more time. Some of them are tempted to stay illegally because they can get high salaries," Han said.
Meanwhile, Han said that his embassy in the Philippines is the number one Korean Embassy when it comes to issuing multiple-entry visa to travelers. He said the Korean Embassy in Manila receives about 1,500 visa applications every day.
Philippine Ambassador to South Korea Noe Wong said 1.6 million Korean tourists entered the Philippines in 2018. Han promised President Duterte last week to help raise the figure to two million Korean tourists during his term.
Han said the embassy has simplified the visa processing to facilitate the entry of more tourists. Last year, around 450,000 Filipinos visited Korea.
“So to facilitate their visa, I simplified the visa process and I asked my staff to issue five to 10-year multiple visas as many as possible, so that will facilitate our people-to-people exchange,” he said.
Korean Ambassador to the Philippines Han Dong-Man (PCOO)
Han made the statement ahead of President Duterte's visit here for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-Republic of Korea (ASEAN-ROK) Monday.
In an interview, Han said that he was hoping for more Filipinos to be able to come to Korea but said this is unlikely to happen soon because of the number of Filipinos illegally staying here.
"We hope that in the future we can have a free-visa policy. But so far, there are a certain number of illegal Filipinos," he said.
According to Han, there are around 15,000 undocumented Filipino workers in South Korea and the figure kept on ballooning every year.
The envoy also explained that foreign workers are given four years to stay in South Korea but some of them are tempted to stay illegally because of their higher income.
"They are entitled to stay for four years and six months but they could apply one more time. Some of them are tempted to stay illegally because they can get high salaries," Han said.
Meanwhile, Han said that his embassy in the Philippines is the number one Korean Embassy when it comes to issuing multiple-entry visa to travelers. He said the Korean Embassy in Manila receives about 1,500 visa applications every day.
Philippine Ambassador to South Korea Noe Wong said 1.6 million Korean tourists entered the Philippines in 2018. Han promised President Duterte last week to help raise the figure to two million Korean tourists during his term.
Han said the embassy has simplified the visa processing to facilitate the entry of more tourists. Last year, around 450,000 Filipinos visited Korea.
“So to facilitate their visa, I simplified the visa process and I asked my staff to issue five to 10-year multiple visas as many as possible, so that will facilitate our people-to-people exchange,” he said.