South Korea Wins Most Powerful Passport in the World - New Record Position Shared with Singapore

Montreal (ots/PRNewswire) -

The PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games isn't the only thing
South Korea is proud of this February. As the world tunes in, South
Korea takes the lead with the world's most powerful passport. Ranking
with an impressive visa-free score of 162, South Korea joins
Singapore at the top of The Passport Index
(https://www.passportindex.org/) ranking for the first time, ever.

The Passport Index is the world authority on passport ranking.
Used by governments from around the world to monitor and increase the
power of their passports, The Passport Index is the most recognized
and trusted service with over 12 million users and counting.

Although European countries historically dominated the charts,
with Germany at the top, 2017 saw the rise of Asia. In late 2017
Singapore took the lead as the first Asian country ever to top the
world's most powerful passports. By December 2017, Germany caught up
but it wasn't for too long.

"We are currently seeing not one but two Asian countries with the
most powerful passports in the world," shared Armand Arton founder
and president of Arton Capital. "This is a testament to the increased
global respect and trust Asian countries are commanding," added
Arton.

Recent changes were mainly driven by Uzbekistan granting visa-free
access (https://discover.passportindex.org/policy-and-regulations/uzb
ekistan-grants-visa-free-access-7-countries/) to South Korea and
Singapore, as well as recent adjustments to visa policies in Somalia.
With South Korea's visa-free score of 162, South Korean passport
holders have access
(https://www.passportindex.org/comparebyPassport.php?p1=kr&fl=&s=yes)
to many European, North American and Asian countries, including The
United States of America, Canada, Russia and others.

Japan quietly moved up to number two place in the Global Passport
Power ranking with a visa-free score of 161. Although tied with
Germany, Japan has fewer visa-free waivers than Germany which puts it
fourth in the Individual Passport Power Ranking
(https://www.passportindex.org/byIndividualRank.php). The Passport
Index gives equal scores to both visa-free and visa on arrival
conditions that add up to make the country's visa-free score.

"Thanks to The Passport Index' first-ever and unique real-time
ranking, we are able to witness the volatility of the passport power
trends," shared Arton. Daily changes affect the positions of most
passports but it is important to note that overall the world is
opening up. According to Arton, "People don't like imaginary borders
that set boundaries to their opportunities in life." "Having multiple
passports has become the new norm and people who haven't invested in
this privilege feel anxious and left out," added Arton.

The World Openness Score
(https://www.passportindex.org/byHistoric.php) as measured by The
Passport Index has never been higher and has passed the 19,000 mark
for the first time. The World Openness Score monitors how
frictionless global travel is and since its inception in 2014, it has
gained over 1,000 points.

The Passport Index issues eye-catching certificates (https://disco
ver.passportindex.org/press-releases/uae-passport-awarded-certificate
/) to top position holders. Referred to as "art pieces," past
certificates have been issued to Singapore, the United Arab Emirates,
and others.

Between South Korea's charming countryside dotted with cherry
trees, century old Buddhist temples, iconic sub-tropical islands, and
ambitiously diverse cities such as Seoul, it is its moment to boast
its 5000+ years of history and culture for the world to admire.

"Passion. Connected." is the official slogan for the PyeongChang
2018 Winter Olympics hosted in South Korea. "The new slogan embodies
our vision to expand winter sports participation to a truly global
audience and encourage people to create and share their
once-in-a-lifetime experiences at PyeongChang," said PyeongChang
Organizing Committee President, Yang-ho Cho.

About The Passport Index

The Passport Index is the world authority on real-time global
passport ranking. Used by governments from around the world to
monitor and increase the power of their passports, The Passport Index
is the most recognized and trusted service with over 12 million users
to date. Users enjoy in the fascinating world of passports, explore
their designs, sort them (by country, region and even by color),
compare them side-by-side, and see how to improve their Global
Mobility Score.

ots Originaltext: Passport Index
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Contact:
Mr.Rupert Wright, media@passportindex.org , +44(0)7557-371908

Original-Content von: Passport Index, übermittelt durch news aktuell