Foreign arrivals in S. Korea surpass 10 million, on course to new annual high

▲ The streets of Myeongdong, central Seoul, are packed with people in this May 1, 2026, file photo. (Yonhap)

foreign arrivals-record

Foreign arrivals in S. Korea surpass 10 million, on course to new annual high

By Shim Sun-ah

SEOUL, June 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has welcomed more than 10 million foreign visitors so far this year, a provisional tally by the tourism ministry showed Wednesday, suggesting the country may be headed for a new annual high.

Foreign arrivals exceeded 10 million during the third weekend of this month, about a month earlier than last year, when the mark was reached in mid-July, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. It is the first time the figure has been achieved within the first half of any year.

Inbound travel has rebounded strongly, with 1.95 million visitors recorded in May alone, up 19.4 percent from a year earlier.

Chinese tourists made up the largest share in May at 560,000, followed by Japanese at 360,000 and Americans at 210,000. Travelers from Taiwan reached 190,000.

Officials also pointed to a growing spread of visitors beyond the capital region. Entries through regional airports rose steadily from 230,000 in January to 360,000 in May.

Foreign visitors' card spending in May, including online purchases, totaled 2.12 trillion won (US$1.38 billion), the first time monthly spending has exceeded 2 trillion won since the country began tracking such data in 2018.

"Despite higher fuel surcharges linked to the Middle East crisis, inbound arrivals were up 21 percent on-year through May, and surpassed 10 million by mid-June, showing solid growth momentum," Kang Jung-won, head of the ministry's tourism policy office, said. "We will expand cooperation with private-sector partners, including K-pop artists and export companies, to further promote South Korea as a travel destination."

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