Mutual exemption for Chinese visas? "There's nothing to share right now".

[Anchor]
With the surprise announcement over the weekend, Koreans will be able to visit China without a visa from the 8th.

We are also interested in whether there will be a mutual visa waiver for Chinese people, but not immediately, but there is still room.

This is Beijing correspondent Kang Jeong-gyu.

[Reporter]
Starting this Friday, Koreans will be able to travel freely to and from China within 15 days without a visa.

A high-ranking official of the Embassy in China explained that they would notify us as soon as possible about the changing departure procedures.

It also means that prior consultations with China were not sufficient for the surprise announcement made at a time when implementation was imminent.

[China's state-run CCTV report (last 1st): Until December 31, 2025, general passport holders in nine countries, including Slovakia, do not have visas for work, sightseeing, and visiting relatives...]

China has announced "unilateral visa exemptions" for 29 countries on four occasions.

A senior embassy official mentioned the case of Malaysia, which decided to exempt mutual visas.

When asked by YTN whether we are also considering mutual visa waiver, he replied, "There is nothing to share at this time."

It's not immediately, but it's also interpreted as leaving room for 'later'.

When asked if there was a demand for mutual exemption from the contract, he declined to give an immediate answer, saying, "It's hard to say."

The surprise visa waiver is also interpreted in conjunction with the restoration of Korea-China relations amid the North Korea-China crisis.

Unlike previous years, the Chinese embassy in Pyongyang held a memorial service to commemorate the participation in the Korean War separately from the North Korean authorities.

The closing ceremony of the 'Year of Friendship' between North Korea and China will eventually be over in October, and we have to wait and see whether it will be held by the end of this year.

It is also noteworthy that China has omitted the existing expression "Korean Peninsula" immediately after North Korea's launch of a new ICBM.

[Lynjian / Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China (last month 31st): As a neighbor of the peninsula, China is keeping an eye on the situation on the peninsula, maintaining peace and stability on the peninsula, and resolving the issue politically...]

Some say that the visa waiver card, which came out amid changes between the lines, is a way to avoid worsening public opinion due to the arrest of Korean residents on espionage charges.

I'm Kang Jeong-gyu from Beijing.

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