Anchor: South Koreans will no longer have to go through the hassle of waiting in long lines to pass through immigration in the United States. Jang Souie has the details.

Report: South Korea and the U.S. announced the implementation of a mutually automated immigration clearance system at Dulles International Airport near Washington on Tuesday.

The automated system allows citizens from either country to clear immigration by walking through an unmanned checkpoint where information from their fingerprints and face is registered.

People aged 17 or older who have been issued a resident registration card and multiple electronic passports, and have applied for South Korea’s Smart Entry Service will be eligible for the new system.

The Korea Immigration Service of the Ministry of Justice and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection under the Department of Homeland Security agreed to adopt the system back in April 2011. This was to improve convenience for exchanges and immigration between the two nations, as the number of travelers flying back and forth reached nearly two-million annually.

South Korea is the first Asian country to mutually implement an automated immigration clearance system with the U.S., and the third country worldwide after the Netherlands and Canada. Travelers can take advantage of the system at 25 airports in the U.S.

Justice Minister Kwon Jae-jin says the system is the result of mutual confidence between the two countries and strong support from citizens, adding that he looks forward to a boost in exchange and constructive cooperation between Korea and the U.S.

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano also said that the system will allow travelers to save time and serve as an important opportunity to promote partnership between the two sides.

Jang Souie, KBS World Radio News.