People are just independent. When people try to keep him in captivity, he starts looking for a way to be liberated. Chinese tourists, trapped by various rules and regulations, seemed to be looking for a way out. Eventually, they chose a semi-tropical island in South Korea as the gateway to the outside world.
The island is called Jeju. Jeju, a land of natural beauty, is called the 'Holiday Paradise' of South Korea. Due to its geographical location and structure, the island is also called 'Hawaii of Korea'. The island covers an area of about 1,848 square kilometers, making it the largest island on the Korean Peninsula.
A world heritage site, the volcanic island is especially popular with Chinese tourists. According to the data, about 300,000 Chinese citizens have already visited Jeju Island this year. This number may seem too much to you. But the reality is that this number is increasing day by day. Erin Craig, a journalist with the BBC, said:
When I stood in line to register with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) on Jeju Island, almost everyone I saw in front of me was a Chinese citizen.
There are many reasons why Jeju Island has become so popular with Chinese tourists. For example, the various beaches of Jeju, which are full of beauty, vast mountains, luxurious shopping centers and big gambling halls. But for another reason, Jeju Island has become popular with Chinese tourists. That is the advantage of getting a driving license.
Many adjust their entire vacation schedule just ahead of the Jeju Driving License Center exam. While there, they spend the day filling out forms, standing in line and participating in exams, respectively. Those who are lucky enough to get a license on the first try. Then spend the rest of the time traveling to the beach and other places of interest.
As a result, their holidays are no longer wasted. They set their plans with a specific purpose in mind. In recent times, it has been seen that they are regularly going abroad for cosmetic surgery, fertility treatment, professional training or just to watch a football match. Some places have become famous for their specific services as their destination. For example, Los Angeles in the United States, Molar City in Mexico and the United Kingdom have become famous for dental treatment and Hoi An in Vietnam for sewing training.
The development of this tourism industry on Jeju Island centered on driving licenses is largely recent. But it is expanding very fast. As of August this year, a total of 2,172 Chinese nationals have been able to obtain driving licenses, according to the local Driver's License Examination Center. On an average, 62 Chinese citizens are getting licenses every week. However, in the whole year of 2010, only 68 Chinese citizens were licensed.
Analysts believe that realistic tourists are walking such an alternative route considering the quality and low cost. Moreover, the training fees for driving schools on Jeju Island are much lower than those for driving schools in major Chinese cities. On the other hand, due to the ambition of Chinese drivers, local drivers in South Korea are earning well from both China and Korea.
Chinese travel companies offer a five-day package called 'South Korea's Hawaii' to travel to Jeju Island. This package is arranged in such a way that tourists can travel as well as obtain a driving license from Jeju Island. Packages start at 8,800 yen (1,280). In addition to travel to some important places, the package includes hotel rent, driving directions, transportation management and examination fees.
However, food and airfare are not included. It may seem expensive to you. But do you know the news of luxury driving schools in Beijing? Packages start there at 15,000 yuan ( 2168) and take about 1 month to process.
Like many other countries, driving in China can be done with a valid license from another country. But for that you have to get the permit from the local authority by showing the original license. As a result, it is very easy for those who get a license from Jeju Island to get a Chinese license. Locals in China can easily convert their South Korean license into a Chinese license by participating in a written test.
Another reason is that Chinese tourists find it better and easier to get a license from South Korea. That is, the Jeju driving schools that take practical road driving tests are relatively advanced and risk-free. A local student named Minkui Liu, who is taking driving training from a Chinese institution and is now helping his friend learn to drive, puts it this way:
Taking the driving test in China is very risky and the Korean driving test is very easy.
The processing procedures for driving licenses are the same in both countries. These include medical check-ups, written tests, close-course driving tests and practical tests on the road. The processing method of the South Korean version has not been so simple so far. The South Korean authorities came under fire at one point due to the complexity. In view of this, in December 2016, the country announced a comparative student-friendly examination system with new human distribution. According to Arirang News,
After the introduction of this new method, the pass rate has increased by 60 per cent only in the 'close-course driving' stage of the examination.
But the processing method of Chinese version is still traditional and in some cases very complicated. For example, let's talk about the written test. Whereas in the South Korean version only 40 questions have to be answered, in the Chinese version 100 questions have to be answered. There is also inequality in the side mark. In the South Korean version, where you get 60 percent marks, you have to get 90 percent marks. (You have to get 70 percent marks to pass in UK).
There is a problem with the schedule. Due to various limitations, it takes about a week to pass each stage of the test in China. If someone fails at any step, he has to take the test again from the beginning. But on Jeju Island, it is possible to pass a few steps of the test in one afternoon.
Ingkin Siu owns a package-tour company on Jeju Island. He has contracted with a local training center to create the package. Under the agreement, a new student is given 13 hours of instructional driving training here. Of these, 6 hours have been set aside for road driving training and 4 hours for practice. In this regard, Siu said,
After taking this short training almost all the students get the license. The number of missing students may be 1 in 100.
An employee of the Jeju Driving License Examination Center said,
There is no denying that the success rate of tourists from China is much higher. Their action process is also very dynamic. All in all, it takes them 1 week on average. Sometimes some tourists take more than two days.
Not only are South Korean driving licenses readily available, but they are also very effective. For example, from 1940 to 1960, the United Kingdom hosted a series of International Driving Permit (IDP) conferences. There is an opportunity for customers to hire foreign cars and drivers. But China did not attend the conference. As a result, China's driving license was not accepted at the IDP conference. But there South Korea participated and they were able to get a significant response among tourists.
Siu said,
Most of our customers are Chinese nationals and they are living in foreign countries. Most of them live in the United Kingdom and Italy. That's why they have an IDP license. This allows them to drive in their hometown without any hassle. In addition, they are legal to drive in about 150 other countries around the world.
He added,
Language is also an important issue here. In the United Kingdom, for example, there are only English or Welsh exams for driving licenses. But everything from applying for a license at Jeju to the written test can be done in Chinese, and most of the staff at the Jeju test center know more or less Chinese.
This does not mean that written test for driving license in English cannot be given in Jeju. All activities can be done in English language. When someone wants to apply for a license, they have the opportunity to apply in a number of languages.
Now the question may come to your mind, what is the specialty of Jeju Island than other places in South Korea? And that is that Chinese tourists do not need a visa to arrive on Jeju Island.
As a result, the lines at Jeju Island's driving license test center are getting longer and longer. Truth be told, the island has to deal with so many tourists from time to time. There are also cases of tourists leaving the country with illegal licenses, which has sometimes embarrassed the authorities. Yet Jeju beach and barbecue party is eagerly waiting for you.
Thanks for reading this article for so long.
If you like it Upvote Can give.
Really amazing. This country has become very popular nowadays