[FACT CHECK] No evidence that visa-free Chinese tourists pose criminal or health risks

As Korea reopened visa-free entry for Chinese tour groups last weekend, conspiracy theories and alarmist claims began circulating online, warning that criminals and infectious diseases would enter the country. However, officials and experts stress these assertions are exaggerated or simply false. The government is permitting groups of three or more Chinese nationals, organized by licensed travel agencies, to enter the country without visas and stay for up to 15 days until June 30 next year. The authorities expect the program to attract around 1 million additional visitors, on top of the 4.6 million Chinese tourists who visited last year. The measure coincides with China’s National Day and mid-Autumn holidays, when inbound demand traditionally surges. Criminal screening in place Rumors spread following a fire on Sept. 26 at the National Information Resources Service facility in Daejeon, which disrupted some online government platforms. Critics claimed that the outage prevented the authorities from screening high-risk travelers, allowing “criminals to flood into Korea.” However, theWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times