New foreigner re-entry ID rule takes effect

Kangwon Land, the operator of South Korea's High1 casino, has set out a new entry identification rule for foreign customers that took effect on July 1, 2022. Under the rule, a foreigner must present and register a passport on their first casino entry, and may then re-enter within the passport's validity period using another form of state-recognized identification¹.

The operator states the change in its casino entry guidance:

The same page sets out separate documentation for overseas residents and holders of Philippine retirement visas. Overseas residents, defined as holders of PR or PM passports and all nationals resident abroad, must show documents confirming they still hold permanent residency, including a passport, a resident registration extract marked as an overseas national, a permanent residency certificate, an entry and exit stamp, or a certificate of entry and exit records¹. Holders of the Philippine Special Resident Retiree's Visa have their Philippine entry records checked twice a year, and are barred from entry if they have no Philippine entry record within the past year; the page dates that measure 2018.10.1¹.

Entry tickets at the casino cost 9,000 won, made up of 6,300 won in individual consumption tax, 1,890 won in education tax and 810 won in value added tax, all of which goes to the national treasury¹. Foreigners and overseas migrants under the Overseas Migration Act are exempt from the entry tax under the Individual Consumption Tax Act, and must show identification to confirm this¹. Credit cards cannot be used to buy tickets, under the Credit Finance Business Act and its enforcement decree, except where a foreigner or overseas migrant pays at a casino licensed under the Tourism Promotion Act with a card issued by a company conducting credit card business abroad¹.

The page also lists entry refusals and limits. Minors under 19, local residents, people on the casino's entry restriction list and customers who exceed the monthly entry limit are refused¹. Local residents of Taebaek, parts of Samcheok, Jeongseon and Yeongwol counties may enter once a month, a rule the page dates 2024. 3. 1., changed from a fixed fourth-Tuesday slot to any date of the resident's choosing after registration¹. Customers from countries on the FATF list of non-cooperative or increased-monitoring jurisdictions may be refused entry; the page states that as of 2025년 2월 21일 the Philippines was removed from the increased-monitoring group and Nepal and Laos were added¹.

What it means for players

For foreign visitors to High1, the practical change is at the desk: the first visit requires a passport, and later visits within its validity can be made with another state-recognized ID. That matters for expats and visitors who do not carry a passport day to day. Overseas residents and Philippine retirement visa holders face extra document checks, and the Philippine visa group can be refused if it has no Philippine entry record in the past year. Tickets must be bought with cash or a non-credit payment method, since credit cards are not accepted, except for the foreign-card exception described above.

What happens next

The page gives no further scheduled changes to the identification rule. It notes that the FATF increased-monitoring list was updated on 2025년 2월 21일, and that links to the FATF lists will be updated later¹. Casino opening hours are listed as 10:00 to 06:00, and the operator says hours may change or the casino may close at its own discretion¹.