National Assembly Petition to Abolish Visa-Free Entry for Chinese Nationals Reaches Over 60,000 Signatures: What's Next?

A parliamentary petition calling for the abolition of visa-free entry for Chinese nationals and stricter immigration screening and crime management for foreigners has surpassed the threshold of 50,000 signatures in less than two weeks since its public release.

Signatures have continued to pour in even after the petition met the requirement, exceeding 62,000 as of the morning of September 16.

The petition, titled "Petition Urging the Suspension of Visa-Free Entry for Chinese Nationals and Strengthening of Immigration Screening and Crime Management," which was made public on August 31, met the requirement on September 12 after receiving over 50,000 signatures.

The petition was referred to the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, the relevant standing committee of the National Assembly, on September 14.

The signing period runs through September 30.

The petitioner requested the suspension of visa-free entry for Chinese nationals and called for stricter immigration screening to thoroughly check foreigners' criminal records, international warrant status, past entry denials, forced deportations, and histories of illegal stay at the entry stage, regardless of their nationality.

The petition also includes demands to tighten departure controls for foreigners under criminal suspicion and restrict the re-entry of major criminals, as well as to expand information sharing between immigration authorities and the police to strengthen management systems from entry to departure and re-entry.

Currently, visa-free entry for Chinese tourists is divided into a temporary program for group tourists nationwide and the Jeju visa-free system.

The temporary visa-free system implemented nationwide does not apply to all Chinese nationals, but is limited to groups of three or more tourists recruited by dedicated travel agencies.

Initially scheduled to run from September 29 of last year until June 30 of this year, the government extended the program through December 31.

Chinese group tourists utilizing this program can stay in the country for up to 15 days.

A separate visa-free system operates in Jeju.

Chinese nationals can enter Jeju without a separate visa and engage in individual or group tourism for up to 30 days.

The petitioner stated, "While tourism revitalization and economic effects are important, they cannot take precedence over the lives and safety of the citizens," and urged a review of the visa-free entry policy for Chinese nationals.

The petition will now undergo review by the Legislation and Judiciary Committee of the National Assembly.

Reported by Jung Da-eun | Video by Lee Yu-jin | Graphics by Yook Do-hyun | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.