SEOUL - SOUTH Korea and the United States have agreed to exchange information on citizens' criminal records as part of a visa waiver programme, the foreign ministry here said in a statement on Sunday.

The accord was signed by South Korean ambassador to Washington Lee Tae Sik and Mr Paul Schneider, deputy secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security in the US capital on Friday, it said.

A visa waver programme starts on November 17 allowing South Korean nationals to visit the United States for up to 90 days without getting prior approval.

The ministry said the accord 'aims to effectively prevent terrorists and other criminals from entering each other's country' by sharing criminal data on citizens in advance.

The ministry's statement said South Korea's parliament would be asked to ratify the accord this week. -- AFP