A visitor enters an automated immigration gate at Incheon International Airport. (Ministry of Justice)

By Koh Hyunjeong

The Ministry of Justice on March 16 announced the raising of the number of nationalities eligible to enter the country through e-immigration gates at domestic airports from 18 to 42.

The additions comprise 19 member states of the European Union (EU) -- Greece, Denmark, Latvia, Romania, Luxembourg, Lithuania, Malta, Belgium, Bulgaria, Sweden, Spain, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ireland, Estonia, Austria, Croatia, Cyprus and Poland -- four not in the EU who are part of the Schengen Agreement -- Norway, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Iceland -- and Canada.

This measure was announced on Feb. 25 at the National Tourism Strategy Meeting to expedite arrivals and departures.

Minister of Justice Jung Sung-ho said, "We expect that this simplified immigration procedure will help boost tourism by foreign visitors and provide practical benefits to our economy and the people's livelihoods."

hjkoh@korea.kr