South Korea welcomed a record number of foreign tourists in the first quarter of this year, driven by a massive influx of fans attending a landmark performance by K-pop megastar BTS in central Seoul last month, Yonhap reported.
According to preliminary data from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, 4.76 million foreign tourists entered the country between January and March, up 23 percent from the same period in 2025, the highest first-quarter figure on record.
China led inbound travel with about 1.45 million visitors, up 29 percent, followed by Japan with 940,000, a 20 percent rise. Taiwan posted the sharpest year-on-year increase of 37.7 percent to 540,000, while arrivals from the Americas and Europe grew 17 percent to 690,000.
Arrivals via regional airports surged nearly 50 percent to 850,000, boosting the proportion of foreign tourists visiting local regions to 34.5 percent.
Cruise tourism showed a strong rebound, with 338 vessel calls at major ports, including Jeju, Busan and Incheon, up 52.9 percent from the same period in 2025.
Tourist spending with foreign cards totaled 3.21 trillion won (US$2.18 billion), up 23 percent from a year earlier, while travel satisfaction rose to 90.8 points, up 1.1 points from 89.7 a year ago, in a poll.
"The global popularity of Korean culture has helped the country cement its status as a leading travel destination," said Kang Jeong-won, director general of the ministry's tourism policy office. He added that authorities were monitoring risks linked to rising airfare and geopolitical tensions that could affect outbound travel demand.
BTS staged a free concert at Seoul's Gwanghwamun Square on March 21 to mark its return after nearly four years of hiatus due to members' mandatory military service. The show drew more than 100,000 fans, according to organizers.