Taipei, Dec. 28 (CNA) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) announced via a press statement on Thursday that starting on Jan. 1 Taiwan and South Korea will offer 800 working holiday visas to nationals from the other country per a recent agreement.
Since 2011, Taiwanese and South Koreans aged 18-30, have been able to apply for a one year working holiday visa.
However, the number of applicants has grown over the past six years, which is why the alloted number of spots rose to 600 Taiwanese visiting South Korea and 600 South Koreans coming to Taiwan at the beginning of 2016.
According to the MOFA statement, a recent agreement will increase that number to 800 per year starting Jan. 1 2018.
As more nationals choose to travel and work in South Korea, MOFA is asking people to be mindful of the work environment and lifestyle there before departing, suggesting that Taiwanese set on traveling to South Korea invest in insurance and learn a bit of Korean.
Nationals are also encouraged to register on MOFA's international travel registry and to contact the Taipei missions in Seoul and Busan, if they run into any trouble.
Taiwan currently has similar working holiday agreements with 14 other countries -- New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Canada, Germany, the U.K., Ireland, Belgium, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Austria, Czech Republic and France.
