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(LEFT TO RIGHT) Eunhey Kim, Country Manager- South Korea, VFS Global; Atul Lall, Regional Head - North Asia, VFS Global; Dilliprashad Joshi, Deputy CFO, VFS Global; Lee Jinseok, Chairman, KATA; Kishen Singh, COO – China, VFS Global; Tsou Hsin Chiang, Chairman of the International Cooperation Committee, KATA; Wang The Shin, Director, KATA (CEO, Hoin Tour) and Jin Cheng Xiu, Director, KATA (CEO, KCCT)
South Korea Targets 30 Million Visitors With Strategic Industry Collaboration
VFS Global and the Korea Association of Travel Agents (KATA) agreed to mutually cooperate to support inbound tourism to the Republic of Korea and facilitate seamless international travel to the country.
The meeting to explore cooperation measures was organised at the KATA office Seoul on 9 January 2026. It was attended by Lee Jin-seok, Chairman, KATA; Choo Shin-kang, Chair of the International Cooperation Committee; Kim Sung-soo, Director and CEO of KCCT Company; and Wang Deok-shin, Director and CEO of Hoin Travel; and representatives from VFS Global - Dilliprasad Joshi, Deputy CFO; Kishen Singh, COO - China; Atul Lall, Regional Head for the North Asia region; and Kim Eun-hye, Country Manager for South Korea.
At the meeting, both organisations exchanged insights on visa facilitation and agreed to leverage their respective networks to support Korea’s inbound tourism growth, while continuing close collaboration going forward.
Speaking on the collaboration, Lee Jin-seok, Chairman, KATA, said, “We welcome this collaboration with VFS Global as an important step towards strengthening inbound tourism to the Republic of Korea. By working together and leveraging our respective networks, we aim to enhance accessibility, support travel partners globally, and further position Korea as a preferred destination for international travellers.”
Zubin Karkaria, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, VFS Global Group, added, "This collaboration with KATA reflects our shared commitment to strengthening inbound tourism to the Republic of Korea, an attractive destination for travellers worldwide. Through closer cooperation, we aim to leverage our extensive global network of Visa Application Centres to support and promote inbound tourism to South Korea.”
VFS Global has been a partner for the Government of the Republic of Korea for visa processing services since 2007. The company offers visa services on behalf of South Korea across 4 countries through a network of 7 dedicated visa application centres globally. VFS Global has processed over 250,000 Korean visas.
Korea aims to attract 30 million foreign tourists by 2030. The country welcomed a record 18.7 million visitors by the end of 2025, surpassing the previous high of 17.5 million set in 2019, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
