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After South Korea granted visa-free entry to Chinese tour groups in late September 2025, Korean-language social media posts falsely claimed all Chinese nationals were no longer subject to any immigration requirements, such as passports or disease reporting. However, the new travel rules only apply to Chinese nationals travelling to South Korea with pre-approved travel agencies, and passports remain mandatory<\/span>.<\/p>\n “From September 29, when Chinese enter South Korea: No visa needed; no original passports needed; they do not need to reveal their accommodation address; even if they are carrying an infectious disease, this will only become known if they report it themselves,” re<\/span>ads Korean-language text in an image shared September 29 on\u00a0Threads<\/a>.<\/p>\n Screenshot of a Threads post captured September 30, 2025, with a red X added by AFP<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The post appeared the same day the South Korean government introduced a temporary\u00a0visa-free scheme<\/a> for Chinese group tourists.\u00a0The policy, which runs until June 30, 2026, allows groups of three or more people travelling on organised package tours to enter the country without applying for visas in advance (archived link<\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n Officials said the plan aims to boost tourism and support local businesses, particularly in areas such as Myeong-dong in Seoul, which has seen a surge<\/a> in Chinese visitors since the scheme began (archived link<\/a>).<\/p>\n But the announcement also fueled a wave of anti-Chinese sentiment online, with conspiracy theories warning of crime and disease spreading unchecked.\u00a0Demonstrations<\/a> against Chinese immigration have also taken place across the country (archived link<\/a>).<\/p>\n Identical claims spread on Instagram<\/a>, as well as on South Korean<\/span> forums Nate Pann<\/a> and\u00a0Ilbe<\/a>. The posts portray the visa-free measure as a threat to public safety.<\/p>\n However, the Justice Ministry told AFP the rumours are false<\/span>.<\/p>\n Spokesperson<\/span> Hwang Gyu-taek on October 2 said <\/span>the visa-free policy applies “only to Chinese tourists travelling in groups of three or more through travel agencies that have been pre-approved by the South Korean government.” Individual travellers remain subject to existing visa\u00a0requirements, which need to be met in advance<\/span>.<\/p>\n He added that “a valid passport is mandatory for all foreign arrivals regardless of visa status.”<\/p>\n All visitors must complete the electronic arrival card<\/a><\/span>, which requires details such as accommodation, contact information and purpose of stay. Hwang noted that lists of incoming group tourists are screened in advance for high-risk\u00a0individuals (archived link<\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n South Korea also maintains quarantine and health surveillance systems, with infectious diseases screened at airports<\/a> and mandatory reporting required for suspected cases. Entry is not dependent on voluntary self-reporting alone, Hwang said (archived link<\/a>).<\/p>\n Yu Min-yi, a senior researcher at the\u00a0IOM Migration Research and Training Centre<\/a>, also told AFP that “all four of these claims are not true” (archived link<\/a>).<\/p>\n “It is simply impossible to enter South Korea without a passport — not even the president could do that,” she said, adding that quarantine procedures are applied equally to all foreign arrivals.<\/p>\n She confirmed accommodation details must be declared as part of entry requirements. For visa-free arrivals, the Korea Electronic Travel Authorization (K-ETA) system<\/a> ensures such information is collected in advance (archived link<\/a>).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n