Foreigners visiting South Korea to give lectures or provide consulting services will be able to enter the country without a short-term employment visa starting next month, the government said Sunday.

Currently, a C-4 visa is required for foreign scholars invited for the short period of time to give lectures, leading some renowned scholars to decline invitations from local research institutes.

According to the rule to be adopted on Aug. 1, foreign scholars invited to give lectures under a contract with the government, universities or nonprofit organizations will be able to enter the country without the C-4, said the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Ministry of Justice.

The invited foreign lecturers can lecture at up to five institutions over a period of seven days, officials said.

They will only require a valid passport and a tourism visa -- B-2 or C-3 -- or hold a B-1 visa that is issued to a citizen of a country that has signed a visa waiver agreement with South Korea. (Yonhap)