Taiwan lodged a formal protest with South Korea after discovering that Seoul’s electronic arrival card system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan).”
The issue surfaced at a time when Beijing and Tokyo are locked in an escalating diplomatic dispute over remarks by the Japanese prime minister regarding a potential Taiwan contingency.
Taiwanese authorities described the label as unfriendly and factually incorrect, saying it had been reported by multiple travellers and had caused confusion and inconvenience.
Taipei said it had repeatedly raised the matter with Seoul and requested its immediate correction, but had not received a positive response.
South Korea’s e-arrival card, introduced in February to replace paper arrival forms by the end of the year, requires travellers to submit details up to 72 hours before arrival.
In the fields indicating previous departure point and next destination, Taiwan appears as “China (Taiwan).”
Seoul said it was reviewing the matter and consulting relevant agencies while maintaining its policy of non-official but substantive cooperation with Taiwan. Beijing has not issued a response.
The controversy unfolded as Beijing and Tokyo continued to exchange criticism following public remarks by Japan’s leader that touched on the possibility of a Chinese military action against Taiwan.
China responded with trade restrictions, warnings to its citizens, and repeated interventions at the United Nations.
South Korea’s president signalled that Seoul could act as a mediator to ease tensions, noting that taking sides would only fuel the dispute.
The broader regional fallout has affected Japan’s tourism sector, with China’s travel warnings leading to widespread cancellations of flights, hotel stays, and package tours.
Mainland Chinese travellers accounted for more than seven million visits to Japan in the first nine months of the year, making the impact significant.
As a result, more Chinese tourists have begun shifting their travel plans toward South Korea, Thailand, and European destinations, including Russia.
Moscow recently introduced visa-free entry for many categories of Chinese nationals for stays of up to 30 days, mirroring Beijing’s own travel policy.
