Number of Visitors to Korea Exceeds 10 Million in First Half..."We Love Korea"

[Anchor]

In the first half of this year, the number of foreign tourists visiting South Korea surpassed 10 million for the first time ever. Alongside the global K-culture craze, favorable evaluations point to a travel environment that has become increasingly convenient, with Seoul recently selected as the world's best "walking city."

Reporter Sim Useop has the details.

[Reporter]

Insub-dong street in Jongno-gu, Seoul.

Despite the gloomy weather, the alleys are packed with foreign tourists.

Traveling in small groups with family or friends, they leisurely enjoy custom itineraries.

[Matthew (28) & Thomas (28) / French Tourists: We've only been walking around since yesterday so we haven't seen much yet, but the city itself is really great. It looks different day and night, and it's especially vibrant at night. I think that's a huge charm.]

Foreign tourist arrivals surpassed 10 million in mid-June, setting a record pace a month and a half faster than last year.

Monthly card spending by foreign tourists also exceeded 2 trillion won for the first time.

[Seo Ryul / Caricature Artist: People come from all sorts of different countries, from Africa to South America, so compared to last year, I definitely feel that sales have gotten a bit better.]

Experts attribute the influx to the global popularity of K-culture—including K-pop, dramas, and food—as well as the weak won and excellent tourism infrastructure.

In April, the global travel magazine Time Out selected Seoul as the "best city for walking in the world."

It received high marks for its walking infrastructure connecting tourist sites and commercial districts, public transportation network, and safety.

[Chelsea (34) / American Tourist: Even when taking my baby out for dinner in the middle of the night, I've never felt unsafe. I feel like I could have a few drinks and still make it home safely.]

Another changing trend in tourism is that visitors are moving away from traditional tourist spots to explore the everyday living spaces of Koreans.

[Professor Lee Hoon / Department of Tourism, Hanyang University: Foreigners are also heading to places where Korean youths hang out, like Seongsu-dong and Ikseon-dong... It is shifting toward "lifestyle tourism," where they want to experience and enjoy what locals do in their daily lives.]

With foreign tourist arrivals projected to break the 20 million mark this year, experts advise that continuous efforts to strengthen competitiveness are necessary to lead visitors toward repeat visits and regional travel outside Seoul.

[Video Editing: Lee So-young | VJ: Jung Han-wook]
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.