Philippine ambassador to South Korea Noe Wong said that government is pushing for a visa-free entry for Filipinos to South Korea, reported Philippine Star.
“So far, I have no idea yet as to the progress about that. But that is one of the things that we are trying to raise,” the report quoted Wong as saying.
Currently, Filipinos need to secure a visa to visit the country for 30 days or less. South Korean nationals, meanwhile, can freely visit the Philippines without having the need to secure a visa.
The tourism department may discuss this issue with their Korean counterparts, according to Wong. However, the number of illegal Filipino workers in South Korea remains a major hindrance, according to South Korean Ambassador to the Philippines Han Dong-Man.
“We hope in the near future we will have visa-free policy between Korea and the Philippines but so far, there are quite a number of illegal numbers of Filipinos in Korea,” Han said.
There are about 15,000 illegal Filipino workers in South Korea, the report quoted the envoy as saying. But he added that Philippine and Korean officials are now working together to address the issue of overstaying Pinoys.
