Agreement on visa-free travel to be signed at Park-Putin summit

When President Vladimir Putin of Russia and President Park Geun-hye meet in Seoul next month, the two nations will ink a visa-free travel agreement that permits travel for business and tourism for up to 60 days.

Putin is expected for a one-day visit after Park returns from a state visit to the United Kingdom on Nov. 5-7. Park met with Putin once before on the sidelines of the G20 summit in St. Petersburg last month.

Putin’s trip here next month marks his third visit to South Korea. He came to Korea in 2001, and in 2005 when South Korea hosted the APEC Summit in Busan.

The visa agreement is expected to increase people-to-people exchanges between South Korea and the Russian Federation, the Russian ambassador here said.

“We already signed many agreements to permit visa free travel for diplomatic and other government officials,” Russian Ambassador Konstantin Vnukov said. “Now we will sign a special agreement to establish visa free travel for up to 60 days for tourism and business, which will have options to extend visits to Russia if necessary.”

The Russian envoy said he expects the new agreement on visa-free travel to spur people-to-people exchanges threefold over the next five years.

(ephilip2011@heraldcorp.com)