Visiting South Korea Without a Visa On Way To USA

[Paladine]

I'm planning my trip home with my wife from Guangzhou to New York at the moment and we are thinking of stopping over in South Korea for a few days. Flights through Korea on Korean Air and Asiana Airlines seem to be relatively inexpensive. I've read previous posts about people successfully transiting through Korea, but not stopping over in Korea.

 

On the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Website and on the Korean Ministry of Justice Website, I read that Chinese Nationals normally need a visa to enter Korea (and from talking with travel agents, obtaining an individual visa is difficult), but if the Chinese National is headed to the USA and has a valid USA visa, they can enter Korea visa free for 30 days.

 

Has anyone tried this before? I was looking up the fare rules for Korean Air and Asiana Airlines and they allow a stopover in Seoul for a small charge (HKD600 for Asiana Airlines).

 

http://www.mofat.go.kr/me/me_a008/sme_b032...1013_11257.html

 

http://www.moj.go.kr/HP/ENG/eng_03/eng_306040.jsp (look under exceptions)

 

If this is true, it would be a great way to get in some inexpensive traveling before heading back to the USA.

[Mengxin]

It looks like you found your answer already. Recenlty, I looked into having my wife visiting me in Soeul. They only way they would allow her to go would be in a tour group, "that was on business." There was also an expensive deposit (~1K USD) that needed to be paid, that she would get back when she returned. It needed about two weeks to get the visa. We decided against it. I visited her instead. One way from Shanghai to Soeul was only around $75 us. Got the ticket the same day I departed.

 

Note also: As long as you have a US passport and your on vacation or touring in South Korea (or Taiwan), visa's are no longer required. If you are traveling there for business however, you do need a visa and passport for those countrys.