S. Korea Could Revive Fast-Tracking for Japanese at Airports If Agreement Reached with Japan, Says President Lee

By Seidai Fujihara / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

17:20 JST, August 21, 2025

SEOUL — South Korean President Lee Jae Myung was supportive of reintroducing priority lanes at Japanese and South Korean airports for citizens from the opposite country during an interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun on Tuesday. The lanes were introduced for the month of June.

“We could reinstall the lanes if there’s agreement,” the president said.

The priority lanes for immigration control at selected airports were meant to help build a positive atmosphere to boost exchanges and strengthen ties between Japan and South Korea in time for the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations. Citizens from one of the countries who had entered the other at least once in the past 12 months were able to use the lanes, along with their family members, by submitting their immigration form online in advance. This proved a hit with travelers as they got to skip the congestion at immigration.

At present, there are apparently no discussions being held about making the priority lanes permanent.

“To invigorate people-to-people exchanges, we are planning to continue to communicate with the Japanese side going forward,” Lee said.

Last year, about 8.81 million South Koreans came to Japan, and about 3.22 million Japanese visited South Korea. Traffic between the countries reached a record high.

“I am hoping to expand exchanges between our people and make our ties as close as the physical distance between our nations,” Lee said.