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| ▲ The surge in tourists visiting Jeju has also brought a rise in visitors staying without a valid visa, according to Ministry of Justice figures. Photo courtesy J. Patrick Fischer. |
The number of people staying on Jeju without a valid visa has surged, according to new figures released by the Ministry of Justice.
Tourists can stay up to 30 days on the island as part of a package to boost visitor numbers to the island.
But scores of people are misusing the visa waiver system according to latest numbers released by the ministry.
More than 2.5 million tourists visited the island last year, more than doubling the number who came in 2011 (around 1 million tourists). About 85 per cent of the total was made up of Chinese visitors.
But the number of illegal aliens staying on the island rose from 282 in 2011 to 731 in 2013 and up to 4,353 in 2015, according to the ministry figures.
The number of visitors using the legal no-visa program also rose 429,221 in 2013 to 629,724 last year. In 2011 the figure stood at some 113,825 visitors. |
