South Korea will temporarily remove visa hurdles for Chinese and Myanmarese nationals in South Korea who want to visit their homeland struck by natural disasters, the South Korean Ministry of Justice said Thursday.

Under the measure, the Chinese and Myanmarese in South Korea can be granted with instant return permits at airports and harbors when leaving for their home country from May 16 to June 15, local media said.

For those illegally staying in South Korea, the government will not charge them fines and will exempt them from a one-year entry ban during the period.

The ministry "expresses deep condolences to the peoples of China and Myanmar who are suffering from natural disasters and hereby implements a temporary special measure to support their quick departure," said a statement of the ministry.

According to the ministry, about 584,000 Chinese and 5,000 Myanmarese are residing in South Korea.

(Xinhua News Agency May 16, 2008)