No. of foreign tourists exceeds 10 mil. in 1st half

Korea is on track to achieve its ambitious annual target of attracting over 22 million overseas visitors this year, driven by a strong rebound in travel numbers for the first half of the year and aggressive government measures to stamp out unfair business practices targeting tourists.

On Tuesday, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism released data showing that the nation welcomed 10.71 million foreign visitors from January to June.

The milestone was buoyed by a sharp monthly surge in June, when 1.99 million overseas tourists visited the country, up 23.1 percent from the same month last year.

The steady influx bolsters prospects for reaching the government’s target of 22 million to 23 million foreign tourists for this year.

A report released by the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute last month projected foreign arrivals to reach 22 million this year, marking a 16.2 percent increase from 2025.

Visitor numbers from key markets grew strongly in June.

China led the arrivals with 650,000 visitors, followed by Japan with 350,000 and Taiwan with 220,000.

Southeast Asian nations, the Am ...