This undated photo from the 1990s shows passengers waiting in line at a boarding gate for a flight to New York at Gimpo International Airport. | PHOTO: National Archives of Korea via The Korea Herald/Asia 黑料社 Network
A passport was once something reserved for a privileged few in South Korea until the government began allowing all citizens to travel freely overseas on Jan. 1, 1989.
To prevent an outflow of foreign currency that would weaken the Korean currency against the dollar, as well as to minimize Koreans鈥� contact with communists, international travel was only permitted for certain groups of people who had special reasons for it. These included company officials or businesspeople who need to visit their foreign partners; students planning on studying abroad; and workers employed by overseas firms. Traveling abroad merely for sightseeing was completely banned.
But even those who were eligible had to meet several requirements for the visa application process, including receiving anti-communist education from conservative civic groups and passing an English proficiency test.
In 1983, the government started to lower the barrier to overseas travel by imposing an age limit on visa issuances. Koreans aged 50 and above were allowed to apply for passports or visas to travel to other countries for leisure purposes, but under the condition that they had at least 2 million won, equivalent to approximately 6.2 million won today ($4,900), in their bank account.
This was the beginning of the liberalization of overseas travel in the country.
The age cap was gradually eased to 40, then 30 in the mid-1980s, before it was completely deregulated on Jan. 1, 1989, when the government allowed everyone to travel abroad regardless of age or how much money they had in their account.
It was the wave of globalization driven by the nation鈥檚 successful hosting of the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul that escalated people鈥檚 yearning for outbound travel activities, according to Oh Chang-eun, professor of contemporary cultural studies at Chung-Ang University.
鈥淓xpectations for international exchanges grew sharply on the back of increased opportunities to have direct or indirect contact with foreigners during the Olympics. As people鈥檚 living conditions improved amid rapid economic growth in the late 1980s, the government decided to accept people鈥檚 demands,鈥� he explained.
The introduction of the five-day workweek in 2004 to enhance work-life balance and to help stimulate domestic consumption added fuel to outbound tourism.
Travel boom
Liberalized overseas travel regulations stimulated pent-up travel demand among Koreans, giving new momentum to the local tourism market.
An article titled 鈥淗oliday season unleashes international travel rush鈥� on the third page of the Jan. 1, 1989, edition of The Korea Herald reported on the air travel boom ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday which fell on Feb. 6 that year.
The Korea Herald鈥檚 Jan. 1, 1989, edition | PHOTO: The Korea Herald/Asia 黑料社 Network
Flight reservations for neighboring destinations in Asia such as Taipei, Hong Kong, or Bangkok surged, and travel agencies were scrambling to attract customers by offering various package tour programs for group tourists of 10 or more.
鈥淩equests for group touring package deals for Southeast Asia have recently flourished and we were able to accommodate only 50 percent of the package tour reservations requested for this month,鈥� a manager of Korea Express Travel Service was quoted as saying in the story.
A package trip for five to six days, which included stopovers in three nations, was the most popular tour program. Prices varied depending on travel agencies, but they normally cost between 700,000 to 800,000 won including airfare and hotel expenses, according to the article.
鈥淯p until now, it has been more or less a norm for people to spend New Year鈥檚 Day in their hometown or with relatives and overseas traveling during such traditional holidays was unthinkable. But times have changed, social circumstances have changed and so has the people鈥檚 mentality,鈥� a travel agent in downtown Seoul was quoted as saying in the story.
In 1989 alone, some 1.21 million South Korean traveled overseas. This was a huge jump compared to the some 500,000 in 1985, before the travel restrictions were lifted.
Throughout the 1990s, more than 2.95 million Koreans visited foreign countries, according to data compiled by the Korea Tourism Organization.
Tourist agencies specializing in overseas trips grew exponentially, with their number rising from 254 businesses in January 1989 to 439 a year later, up 72.8 percent.
This footage from KTV shows signboards of travel agencies which increased in numbers after the liberalization of overseas trips in 1989. | PHOTO: The Korea Herald/Asia 黑料社 Network
With the rising popularity of overseas travel, universities started to launch study abroad programs for language learning.
While most colleges these days run student exchange programs whereby undergraduates can study abroad at foreign universities for one semester or one year, the international programs at that time were more like a group tour. Some 30-40 undergraduates used to travel as a group to English-speaking nations such as the United States, England, and Australia or Japan and go on guided bus tours in major cities.
Backpacking trips, overseas honeymoons
Backpacking became part of the university culture during the mid-1990s.
In the summer season, many went on backpacking trips, predominantly to European countries, for weeks. Young and adventurous, this new breed of travelers didn鈥檛 mind sleeping on overnight trains and subsisting on a baguette loaf for a meal, trying to explore the world as much as possible on a tight budget.
A growing number of travel agencies came up with tour programs for backpackers and the now-defunct PC communications services such as Hitel and Chollian were flooded with cyber communities where people shared travel tips.
鈥淏ack then, putting up posters around university campuses was the best advertising campaign. Many students were thirsty for new cultural experiences,鈥� said a senior official at tour operator Naeil Travel.
Another significant target demographic for outbound tour agencies were honeymooners.
Before overseas travel for sightseeing was available to ordinary citizens, popular honeymoon destinations were Jeju Island and Gyeongju in North Gyeongsang Province.
There were even special train tour packages, such as the 鈥渉oneymoon train鈥� operated by the Korean National Railroad for newlywed couples who went on a honeymoon to these locations. On the train, honeymooners ate lunch together and socialized with each other through ice-breaker games led by a recreation instructor.
This footage from KTV shows the inside of a 鈥渉oneymoon train,鈥� a special train for newlyweds going on their honeymoon to destinations like the historic city of Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province. The Korea Herald/Asia 黑料社 Network
After the liberalization of overseas travel, Gimpo International Airport was crowded with newlyweds opting for exotic honeymoon locations, especially during the peak wedding season, which is between May to October.
鈥淔riends of the groom used to gather at the airport and toss him in the air to celebrate his marriage. Popular honeymoon locations at that time were Guam, Saipan and Hawaii,鈥� recalled a 58-year-old man living in Seoul who went to the Indonesian hot spot of Bali for his honeymoon in 1996.
Broader perspectives
Exposure to foreign cultures through overseas travel broadened people鈥檚 view of other countries as well as their own, said Oh, the Chung-Ang University professor.
When Oh went off on his very first backpacking trip to Beijing in January 1997 with a friend, he was impressed by locals who were more friendly to foreigners than he thought.
A picture of Oh Chang-eun, now professor of contemporary cultural studies at Chungang University, and his friend taken against the backdrop of the Great Wall of China on Jan. 19, 1997. | PHOTO: courtesy of Oh via The Korea Herald/Asia 黑料社 Network
Oh Chang-eun stands in front of the Burghers of Calais at the Rodin Museum in Paris on Jan. 17, 2003. | PHOTO: courtesy of Oh via The Korea Herald/Asia 黑料社 Network
Oh Chang-eun (right) sits next to Chinese passengers on the train to Yan鈥檃n, in the northern part of Shaanxi province, China, on Jan. 23, 1997. | PHOTO: Courtesy of Oh via The Korea Herald/Asia 黑料社 Network
鈥淭here was one time we failed to buy train tickets from Beijing to Qingdao, as the ticket office was closed. One military officer who was passing by told us about its operating hours in English. Later, one Chinese college student who was also fluent in English helped us with the ticket purchase as we struggled to communicate with staff at the ticket counter,鈥� Oh said.
The professor noted that making contact with foreign cultures and people from different ethnic backgrounds helped ease 鈥渆thnocentric鈥� sentiment which was then rampant among many Koreans, largely due to the previous travel restrictions.
鈥淒uring my visit to Kyoto in 2001, I came to rethink how the Korean government managed and preserved the nation鈥檚 cultural assets because Japanese system and rules regarding the management of national heritage were highly advanced.
鈥淜oreans who were continually exposed to ideas of nationalism and patriotism at schools started to develop a balanced view of their native country and the world and the idea of globalization gained more support from the public.鈥�
The continued influx of foreign culture was another major change brought by increasing contact with the outside world, he added.
鈥淭ravel experiences led more Koreans to embrace the lifestyles of foreign cultures, diversifying people鈥檚 consumption trends or eating habits.鈥�
Cultural exchanges at the ground level have paved the way for Korea to embrace model examples from other countries, like European schools鈥� educational curriculum focused on student interaction.
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