S. Korea seeks longer legal stay for citizens in Mongolia

SEOUL, Dec. 5 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has asked Mongolia to extend the legal term of stay for its nationals there, Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday.

Deputy Foreign Minister for Overseas Koreans and Consular Affairs Lee Sang-jin made the offer during the 10th bilateral talks on consular affairs in Ulaanbaatar, formerly known as Ulan Bator, on Tuesday, and Mongolia responded positively, it added. His counterpart Batmunkh Battsetseg, Mongolia's deputy minister of foreign affairs.

Currently, South Korean citizens are allowed to stay in the country for three to six months, which the ministry said is "excessively short" and makes a stable stay there difficult.

"The Mongolian side agreed to actively consider whether it can expand the stay period in accordance with domestic law," the ministry said.

lcd@yna.co.kr
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