![The Sejong Hangeul Festival, a major autumn event in Sejong City, began on Oct. 9 at Lake Park. Foreigners and children participated in a Joseon Dynasty exam experience, solving questions related to Hangeul and King Sejong. [Photo=Yonhap News]](https://image.ajunews.com/content/image/2025/11/08/20251108094105533009.jpg)
SEOUL, November 09 (AJP) - Nearly 6.5 million foreign visitors arrived in South Korea between January and September with the country on track to match last year’s post-pandemic record of 7.54 million, according to data from the Ministry of Justice's immigration office, Sunday.
The figure represents a 17.6 percent increase from the same period a year earlier, when 5.52 million tourists entered the country.
Monthly arrivals have consistently topped 500,000 this year, with each month from July through September surpassing 800,000.
Tourism had plunged after the onset of the pandemic, dropping from a high of 7.15 million visitors in 2019 to just 939,000 in 2020 and a mere 115,000 in 2021. The recovery began in earnest last year, with 7.54 million visitors marking a full rebound from the COVID-19 downturn.
The ministry also reported a growing number of entries through the Korea Electronic Travel Authorization, or K-ETA, system. In September, 92,000 travelers entered the country using K-ETA, about 10,000 more than in August. Introduced in 2021, the system allows citizens from 112 countries to apply online for entry authorization before traveling.
The largest groups of K-ETA users in September came from Thailand, with 24,000 visitors; Malaysia, with 22,000; Russia, with 9,000; and Kazakhstan, with 4,000. Since its launch, nearly 6 million travelers have used the system, the ministry said.
* This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP.
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