Korea's electronic arrival card continues to list Taiwan as "CHINA (TAIWAN)in the "Departure" and "Next destination" fields," and talks with Seoul have yielded no positive response. Taiwan's Foreign Ministry announced on March 18 that, under the principle of reciprocity, Taiwan has changed the name used for South Korea on its Alien Resident Certificate from "Republic of Korea" to "South Korea," effective March 1.
Korea launched its online e-Arrival Card system in February last year. While Taiwan is listed as "TAIWAN" in the basic information section under "Country/Region," some other fields describe Taiwan as "CHINA (TAIWAN)." This wording differs from the "CHINA" or "CHINA P.R." designation used for China and the "CHINA P.R. (HONG KONG/MACAO)" labels used for Hong Kong and Macau, but it has nonetheless prompted protests from Taiwan's government.
On March 3, the ministry said travelers could still choose to complete a paper arrival form when entering South Korea and that it would continue communicating with the South Korean side while considering reciprocal measures.
At a legislative session on Monday, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) and Cabinet officials attended for questioning. Kuomintang lawmaker Ma Wen-chun (馬文君) said Denmark had changed the nationality label for Taiwanese residents on residence permits from "Taiwan" to "China" starting in March 2024, and that the dispute has remained unresolved for two years. She also asked what additional steps the government would take over the South Korea electronic arrival card issue beyond advising travelers to use paper forms.
Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍)said the ministry is continuing negotiations over the Denmark case. He said Taiwan has also adopted reciprocal measures, including adjustments to courtesies extended to Denmark's representative office in Taiwan, and has engaged with G7 countries and other European partners in the hope that Denmark will align its practice with the European Union’s established approach to handling Taiwan-related documentation.
On the South Korea case, Lin said during Monday's legislative questioning that Seoul had originally planned to fully digitalize entry procedures in February this year, but that after Taiwan's representations, paper and electronic arrival cards continue to be used in parallel. He said Taiwan would correspondingly refer to the Republic of Korea as "South Korea," including in registration systems and household registration records. Lin said the matter concerns reciprocity and that the National Security Council, the Ministry of the Interior and the National Immigration Agency had coordinated response measures.
Ministry sets March 31 deadline for response from Seoul
In a statement issued on March 18, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said an inter-agency review had been completed on possible response measures. It said Taiwan had, effective March 1, changed the designation previously used for South Korea on Alien Resident Certificate from "Republic of Korea" to "South Korea" under the principle of bilateral reciprocity.
The ministry said it and Taiwan's representative office in South Korea have asked the South Korean side to respond by March 31. If no positive reply is received by then, Taiwan will adopt corresponding measures regarding how South Korea is labeled in relevant fields of Taiwan's electronic arrival registration form, the ministry said.
The ministry said it and Taiwan's representative office in South Korea have continued to formally protest the South Korean government's use of "CHINA (TAIWAN)" in the "Departure" and "Next destination" fields of the e-Arrival Card system, and have requested that the wording be corrected as soon as possible.
The ministry said Taiwan and South Korea have long maintained close people-to-people ties and friendly exchanges in trade, culture, tourism and travel, and that Taiwan values the relationship. However, it said South Korea has yet to revise the disputed wording in the electronic arrival card system, a matter that has drawn concern from the public and lawmakers in Taiwan. The ministry said it has also received complaints from Taiwanese who expressed confusion and disappointment over Seoul's handling of the issue.
The ministry again urged South Korea to address Taiwan's request and make the correction promptly on the basis of mutual respect and reciprocity.
