Ulaanbaatar, January 26, 2024 /MONTSAME/. During the Official Visit of the Prime Minister of Mongolia Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrai to the Republic of Korea last year, the Prime Minister discussed with the Korean side the issue of easing the conditions for the citizens of Mongolia to travel to the Republic of Korea.

The Government of Mongolia approved Resolution No. 166, "On Measures to Facilitate Travel Conditions for Mongolian Citizens to the Republic of Korea." The Prime Minister has been holding regular meetings with relevant ministries and organizations of the Republic of Korea to address visa applications and facilitate travel conditions. As a result, the Korean side has begun providing certain concessions to the conditions for our citizens applying for South Korean visas.

In the context of this ongoing effort, N. Uuganbayar, Director General of the Mongolian Immigration Agency, and B. Bold, Director of the Department of Consular Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, held an official meeting with Jae-Yoo Lee, Commissioner of the Korea Immigration Service, in Seoul on January 19, 2024. They presented specific proposals regarding facilitation and exchanged opinions on visa applications and travel conditions for Mongolian citizens. For example, they discussed the embassy's response to visa requests from citizens meeting the requirements for multiple-entry visas within 7-14 days, paying attention to the issue of returning Mongolian citizens with valid visas from the border of the Republic of Korea, and significantly reducing the number of Mongolian citizens returned from the border. Additionally, they addressed the repatriation of Mongolian citizens living illegally in the Republic of Korea as part of an amnesty campaign. This included re-applying for visas for citizens who voluntarily left the country within the framework of the campaign, with a guarantee that they can travel legally.

The Commissioner of the Korea Immigration Service Jae-Yoo Lee positively accepted the above proposals from the Mongolian side, and announced that he would take concrete and practical measures to solve the issue of multiple visas in a short period of time, pay attention to the issue of returning Mongolian citizens with valid visas from the border. It was also agreed to take and implement joint measures to educate Mongolian citizens traveling to the Republic of Korea in order to provide them with the necessary advice and information on a regular basis, ensuring they do not violate the relevant laws and regulations of the country.

Within the framework of cooperation and multilateral meetings between the Mongolian Immigration Agency and the Korea Immigration Service, three proposals to ease visa requirements for Mongolian citizens were resolved.

Moreover, more than 30 percent of the 54,000 Mongolian citizens in the Republic of Korea are living illegally, significantly impacting the decision to facilitate the travel conditions of our citizens. Therefore, both sides jointly organized impact work to publicize the negative effects of illegal residence in the Republic of Korea. In 2023, more than 20,000 Mongolian citizens were illegally residing, but this number decreased to over 18,000 as of January 2024. This result demonstrates the successful cooperation of both sides.