Korea-Japan to Promote 'Simplified Immigration Procedures'... Memorandum Signed to Protect Overseas Koreans

President Yoon Suk-yeol shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the expanded Korea-Japan summit held at the Yongsan Presidential Office in Seoul on the 6th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

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President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced on the afternoon of the 6th during the Korea-Japan summit that they have agreed to consider introducing a "pre-entry inspection system" to simplify mutual immigration procedures between the two countries, according to the Presidential Office.

Kim Tae-hyo, the first deputy director of the National Security Office, held a briefing at the Yongsan Presidential Office that afternoon and said, "Reflecting the reality of annual exchanges reaching 10 million people between Korean and Japanese citizens, we have decided to actively seek ways to promote human exchanges, such as simplifying immigration procedures between the two countries to make travel more convenient."

The pre-entry inspection system allows tourists to have their passports and necessary entry documents pre-screened by immigration officers of the destination country stationed at their home airport before departure. It has been reported that Japan’s Ministry of Justice has begun practical reviews of the pre-entry inspection system, and that Prime Minister Kishida was the first to mention the introduction of this system.

If immigration procedures are simplified, travelers can enter the country after a simple identity verification, which can reduce the time required for entry.

In addition, the two leaders signed a memorandum of cooperation for the protection of overseas nationals, establishing an institutional foundation to safeguard the safety of their citizens in third countries.

Deputy Director Kim stated, "The memorandum of cooperation is based on cases where Korea and Japan cooperated for the emergency evacuation of overseas nationals during the Sudan coup in April last year and the Israel-Hamas conflict in October. Our side proposed institutionalizing Korea-Japan cooperation first."

He continued, "The memorandum, consisting of eight articles, details that in the event of a crisis in a third country, the two countries will consult to support and cooperate in evacuating their nationals. It also includes sharing information and best practices on crisis management procedures, exercises, and training during peacetime, covering cooperation between the two countries regarding the protection of their nationals in third countries."

Deputy Director Kim added, "Amid ongoing instability worldwide, the memorandum of cooperation for the protection of overseas nationals is expected to serve as an institutional foundation to ensure the safety of Korean and Japanese citizens."

Regarding the 19 documents containing the passenger list of the Ukishima-maru that the Korean government received from Japan the previous day, Deputy Director Kim said, "This is the result of negotiations with the Japanese government over the past several months," and added, "This is the first time in 17 years since Japan provided us with documents related to forcibly mobilized soldiers in 2007 that victim documents have been provided."

He further explained, "We plan to thoroughly analyze this list through relevant government departments and utilize it to aid victims and investigate the truth of the Ukishima-maru incident."

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