Chinese Tourists Love Korean ID Photos

Published on 2017/03/05 | Source

A woman from Hong Kong has her ID photo taken in a studio in Sincheon, Seoul.

Tourists from China and Hong Kong love having their ID photos taken in Korea because of the flattering magic studios here perform in no time.

Kim Jing-sung, who own a photo studio in Sinchon Seoul, said he has 15 to 20 Chinese customers a day. "Most of them bring photos of Korean or Chinese celebrities and ask their ID photos to be taken that way", he added.

A Chinese woman came to have her ID photo taken in a studio near the trendy Hongik University. "In China, they spend just a second taking your ID photo, but in Korea you get the image of a lifetime and for a great price".

An ID photo shoot costs around W20,000 at these studios, rising to W50,000 with hair styling and makeup (US$1=W1,135).

Photo studios are investing to attract more Chinese customers. One studio in the Hongik University area recently put up a sign in Chinese. The owner of another photo studio in the area said, "I'm in talks with a couple Chinese travel agencies about including my studio in their tour packages, and I hired a Chinese interpreter a month ago".