SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA / RankWire.AI / – South Korea recorded a $596.6 million tourism surplus in June 2026, marking its most robust monthly result since the COVID-19 outbreak. The surplus improved by approximately $1.44 billion compared to June 2025, when the nation faced an $846.8 million deficit. Data from the Korea Tourism Organization indicates that June’s figure ranks as the second-highest monthly tourism surplus ever recorded, with only October 2008 surpassing it at $661.5 million.
This June figure signifies South Korea’s fourth consecutive month with a positive tourism balance, after a period of 72 straight months of deficits from March 2020 through February 2026. In January, the country faced a $1.4034 billion deficit, followed by a $1.0993 billion shortfall in February. The balance turned positive in March at $263.8 million and remained so in April at $159.9 million and in May at $220.5 million.
Tourism earnings reached $2.784 billion in June, while South Korean travelers spent $2.1874 billion abroad during the same period. The average expenditure per foreign visitor was $1,397, whereas outbound South Korean travelers spent an average of $1,091 each. The difference between inbound tourism receipts and outbound spending resulted in the $596.6 million surplus, the largest positive monthly balance in over 17 years.
Visitor numbers grow across key markets
In June, South Korea welcomed 1,993,128 international visitors, reflecting a 23.1% increase compared to the same month in 2025. China remained the top inbound market with 649,582 visitors, experiencing a 36.2% rise from the previous year. Japan followed with 348,216 visitors, up 21.3%, while Taiwan accounted for 223,127 arrivals. Visitors from the Americas totaled 219,948, and European visitors reached 119,445 during June.
Over the first half of 2026, international arrivals hit 10,709,919, representing a 21% increase year-on-year. Foreign tourist credit card expenditures during this period amounted to 10.0389 trillion won, a 50.8% rise from the same period in 2025. Specifically, in June, card spending reached 2.0544 trillion won, up 66.4% compared to the previous year. Additionally, the Korea Tourism Organization reported 395,246 international arrivals through regional airports in June, a 42.5% jump.
Growth in arrivals and receipts bolsters tourism sector
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recorded increased traffic from several long-haul markets in the first half of the year, with arrivals from the Americas totaling 1,077,287, a 12.7% rise from the previous year. European visitors increased by 20.2% to 738,943 over the same period, with the United States contributing 811,974 visitors, an 11.1% growth. Canada also saw a 17.1% increase, bringing in 157,003 arrivals compared to the first half of 2025.
South Korea’s recent monthly surplus marks a turnaround after three years of annual tourism deficits exceeding $10 billion. The country faced deficits of $10.38 billion in 2023 and $10.21 billion in 2024, with a peak of $10.76 billion in 2025. By June 2026, the country experienced four straight months of positive monthly balances, with June’s receipts surpassing outbound tourism spending by $596.6 million, making it the largest monthly surplus since the pandemic and the second-highest ever.