China Lifts Overseas Group Tour Ban... Six Years After THAAD Retaliation (Comprehensive)

The Chinese government has fully lifted the ban on group tours of Chinese citizens to South Korea, which had been suspended since March 2017 as retaliation for the deployment of THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) missile defense system.

On the 10th, the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced that it would allow group tours to 78 countries worldwide, including South Korea, the United States, and Japan.

The third list of countries permitted for overseas group tours, announced by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism on this day, includes 12 Asian countries such as South Korea, Japan, Myanmar, T?rkiye, and India; 8 North and Central American countries including the United States and Mexico; and 6 South American countries including Colombia and Peru.

Additionally, group tours for Chinese citizens were permitted to 27 European countries including Germany, Poland, and Sweden; 7 Oceania countries including Australia and Papua New Guinea; and 18 African countries including Algeria, Tunisia, and Mozambique.

China had previously lifted the ban on group tours to 60 countries through two announcements in January and March of this year, following its reopening (economic resumption). As a result, after more than three years of the COVID-19 pandemic, restrictions on overseas travel for Chinese citizens have been virtually fully lifted.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism stated, "After the pilot resumption of travel agency operations related to overseas group tours for Chinese citizens, the travel market has generally operated smoothly, promoting a positive role in travel exchange and cooperation."

Previously, China had suspended the issuance of group visas to South Korea in March 2017 as a retaliatory measure against the deployment of THAAD by the US Forces Korea. This new measure marks a relaxation of regulations after 6 years and 5 months.

Rie Nishihara, an analyst at JP Morgan Japan, predicted, "This move may also aim to stimulate the domestic economy through improved foreign relations," adding, "It will help revitalize certain industries such as retail, transportation, and cosmetics."

Amid expectations for the resumption of Chinese travel, as of 2:22 PM Korea time on the same day, the stock prices of Hana Tour, Modetour, and AmorePacific surged by 6 to 8%. Department store companies Takashimaya and Isetan Mitsukoshi, listed on the Japanese stock market, also showed increases of 3.71% and 5.18%, respectively.

Meanwhile, the procedure for South Koreans to obtain Chinese travel visas is also expected to be somewhat simplified. The Chinese Embassy in South Korea announced yesterday afternoon via WeChat (the Chinese version of KakaoTalk) that the fingerprinting procedure for visa issuance to China from South Korea will be suspended until December 31 of this year for business (M), travel (L), family visit (Q), transit (G), and crew (C) visas.

The Chinese Embassy in South Korea has been collecting fingerprints from all Chinese visa applicants since January 2021.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.