South Korea has revealed plans to introduce a new visa tailored specifically for aficionados of South Korean culture. Dubbed the “Hallyu visa” or the “K-culture training visa,” this initiative aims to extend a warm welcome to non-Koreans enrolling in local performing arts academies, granting them the opportunity to reside in the country for a maximum of two years. The term “Hallyu,” which translates to the “Korean Wave,” signifies the widespread global appeal of South Korea’s cultural exports, encompassing K-pop, films, and various artistic expressions.
South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism envisions the arts as the driving force behind the next generation of K-culture. Support for budding artists and writers stands out as one of six pivotal strategies to attract more visitors. Furthermore, the nation has outlined plans for the “K Tourism Road Show,” scheduled to kick off in countries such as the US and Sweden this year. While specific requirements for the K-culture visa are yet to be disclosed, anticipations are set for details to emerge in the second half of 2024.
From a tourism standpoint, nurturing the passion of K-pop and K-drama enthusiasts holds substantial financial appeal. The $10-billion K-pop industry, integral to South Korea’s economy, witnessed a dip in the country’s GDP last year when BTS, a prominent musical force, announced a temporary hiatus for solo pursuits.
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Despite facing setbacks during the Covid-19 pandemic, South Korea’s tourism industry is staging a robust comeback as a key economic contributor. According to the World Travel & Tourism Council, the country’s tourism sector is anticipated to grow at an average annual rate of 4.8% through 2032, surpassing the projected 1.8% growth rate of the national economy.
K-pop already stands out as the primary motivator for visiting South Korea, as revealed in a report by the country’s culture-and-tourism ministry. In a comprehensive study tracking mentions of Korean culture across social and online media in the top 20 countries for inbound tourism, K-pop emerged nearly 37 million times—approximately 2.6 times more frequent than the next most-cited motivation, Korean cuisine, and about four times more prevalent than general Korean cultural content.
Visit Korea’s strategic marketing campaigns increasingly feature K-culture, yielding notable success. The “Challenge Korea: Hello Future” video, featuring “Squid Game” actor Lee Jung-jae, has amassed 142 million views on YouTube in just six months. Moreover, the “Feel the Rhythm of Korea” series, showcasing K-pop sensations like BTS and Blackpink to promote various Korean destinations, has garnered over 2.1 billion views on YouTube within three years.