Ulaanbaatar, April 23, 2025 /MONTSAME/. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia Battsetseg Batmunkh received Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Korea to Mongolia Choi Jin-won at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia on April 22, 2025.

Foreign Minister Battsetseg reiterated several issues that Mongolia has repeatedly raised with the South Korean side concerning the conditions under which Mongolian citizens travel to the Republic of Korea and apply for visas, yet which remain unresolved, including:

• End the practice where Mongolian citizens holding valid visas to the Republic of Korea are detained at the country’s ports of entry without legitimate reason, have their mobile phones or other belongings confiscated, leading to the encroachment of their private information, and ultimately being deported.
• Abolish the practice where individuals who receive a visa refusal from the South Korean Embassy in Mongolia must wait six months before re-applying.
• Study the option of submitting either a notarized copy of the visa applicant’s passport or a passport certificate issued through E-Mongolia instead of the original passport during the processing period, as visa applicants cannot receive their passports while the visa application to the Republic of Korea is pending, restricting the freedom of movement of visa applicants.
• Explore switching to an electronic application system and issuing e-visas for Mongolian nationals.
• The Government of Mongolia made the decision to allow South Korean tourists to enter visa-free for up to 30 days through the end of 2025. In light of this, on a reciprocal basis, study the possibility of exempting Mongolian patients travelling for medical treatment, along with their caregivers, from visa requirements for stays of up to 30 days, and expanding the issuance of multiple-entry visas to officials of Mongolia’s leading enterprises.

Foreign Minister Battsetseg underlined that friendly people-to-people ties and exchanges are vital to deepening the relations between Mongolia and the Republic of Korea at the level of a “Strategic Partnership,” and expressed confidence that the South Korean side would give serious consideration to Mongolia’s formal note verbale and take concrete decisions.

Ambassador Choi Jin Won acknowledged the difficulties Mongolian nationals face when travelling to or applying for visas to the the Republic of Korea, stated that the South Korean side is paying close attention to these concerns, and expressed commitment to study the specific issues raised, continue consultations with Mongolia, and cooperate in addressing them, the Foreign Ministry of Mongolia reported.