In the first half of 2026, South Korea welcomed 10.71 million foreign tourists, surpassing pre-pandemic levels. This figure represents a 21.3% increase compared to the same period last year and is 26.9% higher than the first half of 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the Korea Tourism Organization's 'June 2026 Korea Tourism Statistics' released on July 23, the number of inbound tourists from January to June reached 10.71 million. This marks a 21.3% rise from the same period last year and is equivalent to 126.9% of the figures from 2019.
In June alone, the number of visitors was 199,312, an increase of 23.1% from the same month last year. Compared to June 2019, this represents a recovery to 135.0% of pre-pandemic levels.
By country, China led with 649,582 visitors, followed by Japan with 348,216, Taiwan with 223,127, the United States with 177,744, and Hong Kong with 65,690. Year-on-year growth rates showed China increasing by 36.2%, Taiwan by 35.3%, Japan by 21.3%, Hong Kong by 17.1%, and the United States by 6.9%.
When compared to pre-pandemic levels, Taiwan showed the most significant recovery, reaching 188.4% of June 2019 figures. The United States followed at 168.6%, China at 136.8%, Japan at 123.3%, and Hong Kong at 106.4%. Regionally, the North American market recovered to 147.0% of 2019 levels, while the Asia and Middle East markets reached 116.8%.
In contrast, the number of South Koreans traveling abroad decreased. In June, 200,472 South Koreans traveled overseas, a 10.0% decline from the same month last year. However, the cumulative number of outbound travelers in the first half of this year reached 14.96 million, recovering to 99.7% of the levels seen in the same period of 2019.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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