SEOUL, June 28 (Yonhap) — Monthly spending by foreign tourists in South Korea reached a record high of over 1.4 trillion won (US$911 billion) in May, marking the third consecutive month foreign spending surpassed 1 trillion won, data showed Sunday.
Credit card spending by inbound travelers came to 1.41 trillion won last month, up 73.7 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO).
Spending by foreign travelers surpassed 1 trillion won for the first time in March, as global fans of K-pop megastar BTS flocked to Seoul to watch the boy group’s comeback performance at Gwanghwamun Square.
It hit another record high in April as BTS kicked off its world tour “Arirang” in Goyang, northwest of Seoul.
The record-high figure posted in May despite the absence of BTS concerts suggests South Korea’s tourism sector has entered a more stable phase, local experts noted.
By sector, shopping accounted for the largest share at 39.1 percent of foreign spending, followed by “beauty wellness” at 21.1 percent, fashion at 14.3 percent, and “lifestyle food” at 11.9 percent, among others.
This photo, taken June 10, 2026, shows BTS fans taking a photo at a welcome center set up in the southeastern city of Busan. (Yonhap)
sookim@yna.co.kr
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