S. Korean authorities accused of discrimination against Thais

[reader]

From the Thaiger

Outraged Thai netizens called for a ban on travel to South Korea, accusing authorities of discriminating against Thai nationals, pushing the hashtag #BanTravelToSouthKorea (#แบนเที่ยวเกาหลี) to the top of Twitter (X).

The Southeast Asian nation is a popular destination for Thais due to the influence of K-pop artists, fashion and South Korean drama. Thais do not need a visa to enter the country but they must register on the website K-eta.

The process takes a few days or more to evaluate each traveller but for Thais, it does not mean that they will be able to enter the country even if their application has been approved.

At the immigration checkpoint, many Thais are detained and forced to return due to the number of illegal Thai workers, known as “little ghosts” in South Korea.

The measures seemed to be getting stricter and stricter. Even Thai celebrities and social media influencers who can prove their identity, profession and financial security were denied entry.

Furthermore, many deported Thai people said that the reasons behind their deportation didn’t make sense.

Deportation experiences

A Thai woman on Twitter recently revealed that a South Korean immigration officer asked her to name every train station in the country.

She was able to name only a few of them, so officers concluded that she did not understand the South Korean language and disapproved of her.

Another woman said that she was detained because her surname was different from her friend’s family members who were travelling with her.

The others said they were questioned about the colour of their hotels and the number of trees in front of their accommodation.

Another woman said that she worked as a professor at a university in Thailand and had travelled to more than 20 countries but was refused entry to South Korea.

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Thailand is set to lift visa requirements for tourists from India and Taiwanstarting next month, lasting until May 2024. This move aims to attract more tourist influx as the peak season is on the horizon.

This move follows in the footsteps of the decision made in September to abolish visa requirements for Chinese tourists, Thailand’s leading tourism market before the pandemic, accounting for 11 million of the 39 million arrivals in 2019.

India, being the fourth largest source of tourism for Thailand this year, has contributed about 1.2 million arrivals, following Malaysia, China, and South Korea. The tourism sector of India exhibited growth potential, as an increasing number of airlines and hospitality chains started to target this market.

[Marc in Calif]

This is a very odd way to describe South Korea:

The Southeast Asian nation is a popular destination for Thais due to the influence of K-pop artists, fashion and South Korean drama. 

The Thaiger apparently has an English Editor-in-Chief originally from Newcastle. Having lived in Asia for many years, he should know better!