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PSA: Beware Of Unauthorised Websites Selling Korean ETAs For 10 Times The Actual Price

The K-ETA should only cost 10,000 won (RM35.80) per person.

Cover image via The Korea Herald & Korea Electronic Travel Authorization (K-ETA) Center

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The South Korean Ministry of Justice has issued a warning to tourists, advising them against using non-official websites to apply for the Korea Electronic Travel Authorization (K-ETA) before travelling to the country

On the official K-ETA website, the ministry warns that it has not designated any other agency for K-ETA application.

"Some non-official websites were found to be illegally collecting a higher fee than the official fee and relevant cases have been reported.

"Please be careful to protect yourself from damages due to fraudulent non-official K-ETA websites and agencies," it warned.

According to The Star, many unsuspecting Malaysians have also fallen victim to this scam.

Image used for illustration purposes only.

Image via The Korea Herald

Despite warnings by the South Korean authorities since the visa-free access began in 2021, some Malaysians have still ended up paying up to 10 times more for their K-ETA

As of writing, the K-ETA costs only 10,000 won (RM35.80) per person.

However, many have paid as much as USD99 (RM475) to unauthorised third-party or scam websites.

The homepage of the official Korea Electronic Travel Authorization (K-ETA) website.

Image via Korea Electronic Travel Authorization (K-ETA) Center

These cases often happen when people neglect to check the website's domain name, only to later discover that they did not apply on the official K-ETA website

"I chose a K-ETA website that appeared at the top of the search results, thinking it was an official site. It seemed legitimate," a victim told The Star.

It was only when she was charged USD99 for the K-ETA that she realised that she had been duped.

Moreover, she is now concerned about the legitimacy of her 'approved' K-ETA application and whether she will be allowed to enter the country during her trip.

To reiterate, there is only ONE official website to apply for a K-ETA

The official K-ETA website is www.k-eta.go.kr.

The South Korean authorities encourage travellers to apply for the travel permit at least 72 hours before their scheduled flights.

Last year, a Malaysian shared that her trip to South Korea was abruptly cut short at the immigration checkpoint:

Here are more important facts to know about passports and travelling before your next holiday:

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