South Korea’s automated immigration gates handled a sharply larger share of foreign travelers this year, according to figures cited by the Justice Ministry and reported by World Korean News on October 3. During the recent Chuseok holiday period, 484,873 of the 777,766 travelers entering or leaving through Incheon International Airport—62.3 percent—used automated gates. The broader increase is also significant. About 1.41 million foreign nationals used automated immigration gates during the first ten months of 2026, the report said. That is roughly 4.7 times the cumulative total recorded over the previous 13 years, when about 300,000 foreign travelers had used the system. The surge reflects a change in eligibility as well as growing familiarity with the process. South Korea began expanding access to ordinary foreign visitors after installing an automated-entry registration center at Incheon Airport in November 2025.
The first expansion covered nationals of Hong Kong, Macao, Germany and Taiwan. In March 2026, eligibility was extended to citizens of European Union and Schengen countries and Canada, bringing the total to 42 countries and regions, according to the report. The gates are unmanned immigration machines designed to process travelers more quickly through identity and biometric checks. They were first installed at Incheon in 2008, but for many years foreign access was largely limited to registered overseas Koreans, long-term residents and people holding foreigner registration cards. The newer system makes automated processing available to a much wider group of short-term international visitors, provided they meet the applicable conditions. The eligible list reported by World Korean News includes the United States? No.
The 42 listed countries and regions include Australia, Canada, Japan, Singapore, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Switzerland, New Zealand, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao, among others. The published list does not include every major travel market, so visitors should verify their own eligibility before flying. For travelers, the expansion could make arrival at Incheon more predictable during peak periods such as Chuseok, summer holidays and major cultural events. It does not eliminate immigration requirements: passengers still need the correct travel authorization or visa, a valid passport and compliance with Korean entry rules. The report also concerns automated processing at the airport and should not be interpreted as a change to visa policy itself.