Tourists wearing the traditional 'Hanbok' Korean costume walk during a tour at the Gyeongbok Palace in downtown in Seoul, South Korea, Sept. 5, 2018. Jeon Heon-Kyun, EPA-EFE/Fil

MANILA - Travelers who have a layover in South Korea can now avail of different tours while they wait for their flights to their next destination.

According to the Korea Tourism Organization Manila, travelers who are transiting in Seoul may avail of different tours, and even visa-free entry to Korea.

Passengers who have a visa to enter the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and 32 countries of the European Union can stay in Korea visa-free for 30 days. Those who will be going to a third country not included in the previous list may also enter Korea visa-free for 3 days.

Those availing of the 3-day visa-free entry programs in Korea must book either the Free Transit or K-Stopover tours in order to be eligible.

According to the KTO, the Free Transit Tour is for passengers who have less than 24 hours layover in Korea. Tours range from 30 minutes to 5 hours in different destinations such as Younggungsa Temple, Paradise City Art-tainment, Songdo Central Park, Hongdae Street, Gwangmyeong Cave and can even play golf in affiliated golf courses.

The K-Stopover program, meanwhile, offers reasonably priced packages to different locations such as Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi-do, and other local tourist destination.

The transit programs are a partnership between the airlines and the airports.

According to KTO Manila Director Hyung Joon Kim, they hope to encourage more Filipinos to visit Korea and enjoy these transit tours.

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