MANILA &ndash; The government of the Republic of Korea formally opened Thursday the Korea Visa Application Center (KVAC) to meet the growing demands of travellers who wish to visit South Korea.
In a statement, Korean Ambassador to the Philippines Lee Sang-Hwa said that the Korean government has designated 2023-2024 as &ldquo;Visit Korea Year&rdquo;, making the opening of KVAC a perfect fit to the tourism campaign.
According to Lee, "There have been concerns that the visa application process has been too difficult for Korea, but expectations are high that it will be improved by opening of KVAC."
Filipino travellers can now submit their visa applications in a convenient way as the center is located inside Britanny Hotel at the Bonifacio Global City (BGC), Taguig City.&nbsp; The center is also tasked in the releasing of issued visas and passports that have been reviewed by the Embassy.
Because of this, the Embassy will now focus on the screening of visa applications.&nbsp; The Embassy also removed the online registration system and simplified the application process.
According to data shared by the Korean Cultural Center of the Philippines (KCC), the number of people-to-people exchanges between Korea and the Philippines reached 1 million from January to July 2023, a 4.7-fold increase from the first half of 2022 and is expected to reach pre-pandemic levels of 2.4 million in 2019.
The formal opening of the center was attended by Philippine Korean Trade Association Chairman Chun Joohwan, Taguig City Mayor Lani Cayetano, Former Senate President and House Speaker Manny Villar, Department of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Jesus S. Domingo, Senator Cynthia Villar, Ambassador Lee, Hana Tour CEO Song Misun, and Senator Mark Villar.
Korea Tourism Organization Director Kim Hyungjoon, Deputy Speaker House of Representatives Camille Villar, United Korean Community Association President Sim Jae Shin, and Korea Visa Application Center Director Ahn Kyuseok also attended the event.
Next year marks the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Korea, and further enhancements in people-to-people exchanges and relationship between the two countries are expected.
According to Lee, &ldquo;The Korean Embassy will continue to make efforts to promote people-to-people exchanges.&rdquo;
"We will make efforts to allow more people to enjoy the beauty and culture of Korea, and to enhance the deep friendship and partnership between the Philippines and Korea,&rdquo; he added.
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Korea Visa Application Center opens in Manila