In recent years, South Korea, particularly the city of Seoul, has become a famous destination for many people. This can be attributed to the growing popularity of Korean pop culture, including its music, fashion, skin care, and film, among others.
My first exposure to South Korean pop culture was through Korean drama, or famously called as “K-drama”. I was in the university at that time and I barely know anything about South Korea besides the 38th parallel that demarcates its nation from the neighbouring north. One of my closest guy friends at the time shared with me a music video clip entitled, “Kiss”. The musical scoring, including the poignant theme of the short clip and the impeccable skin complexion of the leading female character, drew me to the quality of K-drama. It was not even a drama, to begin with. Then, my fondness for such genre was followed by the Korean movie, My Sassy Girl. The same guy friend introduced me to it. The movie didn’t fail me, it once again left me with profound feelings of loss and joy, as I vicariously joined the leading female character in her journey to healing from her first heart break.
From then on, I began wondering how it would be to finally visit and experience South Korea. I imagined walking through the shopping isles of Dongdaemun Market, trying out Tteok-bokki along the busy streets of Gangnam, feasting on samgyupsal at Gyeongdong, or perhaps, trying on one of those classy traditional hanboks.
Came December 2023, such a daydream became a reality. My husband and I, both of us are fans of Korean drama, decided to have a quick side-trip in Seoul. We have always been avid travellers, but wise ones. We travel on a budget and we are a constant sucker of travel saving hacks. So, on our way home to the Philippines from Canada for our scheduled Christmas holiday trip, we made sure that we’ll be transiting in Seoul. We booked a flight through Korean Air that would allow us to stay in Seoul for at least 24 hours.
As a Philippine passport holder, we have limitations in entering certain countries. Most of the time, we are required to secure a transit visa or a visit visa if we wish to stay longer than a day. As we planned to go out of Incheon airport and do some random exploration in Seoul City, I took due diligence to search for the visa requirements from the South Korean embassy. I was ready to apply for the visa and pay for the related fees.
But lo and behold! Filipinos, among other countries, can now go on transit in South Korea without having to secure a transit visa! In fact, one could transit for a maximum of 30 days! Yes, no paperworks needed! One just needs to meet one important requirement— South Korea should not be the final destination in the flight ticket. You must be just ‘passing by’ and are ultimately bound to a third country, which is the final destination. For example, in our case, we departed from Ottawa, Canada, we passed by South Korea, off to our ultimate destination, which is the Philippines. Note: The third country must be different from the country of origin.
This is an excellent travel opportunity for those who plan to visit South Korea, but would not want to go through the hassle of the paperworks related to getting a visit visa. I must also say that this information applies to Philippine passport holders travelling from Canada. You might want to also check if South Korea has the same provisions for your current country of residence.
For more information, you may visit the following website for the South Korean embassy in Ottawa:
https://overseas.mofa.go.kr/ca-en/brd/m_5238/view.do?seq=727682&page=1
Hoping that this information has been helpful in a way. All the best!
Below are some of the snapshots from our South Korea trip. ☺️
