Seoul: South Korea will remove the "China (Taiwan)" label from its e-arrival system, a foreign ministry official said Tuesday, after Taiwan changed South Korea's name in its immigration system from "Korea" to "Korea (South)" in protest.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Seoul plans to remove the "last point of departure" and "next destination" fields from e-arrival cards, where the island nation had been listed as "China (Taiwan)." It will remain listed as Taiwan in the country and region field. The official stated that this adjustment aims to streamline the system and improve convenience for visitors from Taiwan, aligning the paper and electronic arrival formats.
The Ministry of Justice is managing the process according to relevant procedures. Seoul's decision followed Taiwan's request for a "correction" in its labeling as "China (Taiwan)" on e-arrivals, noting that Taiwan had altered South Korea's name in its immigration system in a reciprocal move. Taipei had indicated potential further actions if no positive response was seen from Seoul by the month's end.
Taiwan's foreign ministry acknowledged on Tuesday that it was informed about Seoul's internal review to update the e-arrival card system, and it will temporarily halt its own changes to the e-entry registration. Seoul clarified that the decision was not a reaction to Taiwan's deadline but was meant to foster practical, unofficial cooperation with Taiwan.
Furthermore, Taiwan is expected to take reciprocal measures to reinstate "Korea" in its foreign residents certificates. The removal of the two fields from the e-arrival system will apply to all countries.
South Korea ended official diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 1992 when it established formal ties with mainland China. Since then, both sides have maintained practical ties unofficially. China, which views Taiwan as part of its territory, has opposed any actions by other countries that challenge this view.
"We maintain necessary communication with China on matters of mutual interest," the Seoul official added.