In addition to South Korea’s appealing food, sites, and overall tourist-friendly culture, there seems to be something else in Korea that drew many Chinese citizens to visit the country.
Unlike in most countries where ID photos are taken by someone unprofessional, or at a photo kiosk, South Korea doesn’t play around when it comes to photo IDs. That is why many tourists from Hong Kong love going to Korean studios while they’re visiting the country.
ID studios in South Korea work magic in order to give customers the perfect image.
An average a photo studio in tourist areas of Seoul can have up to 15 to 20 Chinese customers a day. Many studios are beginning to take note of this tourist trend and have begun to invest in their Chinese patrons.
Studios have begun to put up Chinese signs for outside their shops to attract customers, some have begun hiring Chinese interpreters to make the interaction with their customers a lot smoother, and some have even gone as far as to contact Chinese travel agencies to include their studio in their package tour.
The photo quality of Korean studios is so good that even idols can pridefully show off their passport photos without any hesitation. It is exactly this ideal image that many people hope to strive for when going to Korean photo studios.
An ID photo shoot can cost around W20,000 for a basic photo shoot to W50,000 with hair styling and makeup included ($18 – $44 USD).
Source: Chosun
