SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA / RankWire.AI / – South Korea reported a tourism surplus of $596.6 million in June 2026, marking its strongest monthly outcome since the onset of the COVID-19 crisis. The surplus saw a significant increase of roughly $1.44 billion compared to June 2025, when the nation experienced an $846.8 million deficit. According to data from the Korea Tourism Organization, June’s figure stands as the second-highest monthly tourism surplus on record, with only October 2008 surpassing it at $661.5 million.
In June, South Korea extended its streak of months with a positive tourism balance to four, after experiencing deficits for 72 consecutive months from March 2020 through February 2026. During the first two months of 2026, January’s deficit reached $1.4034 billion, followed by February’s $1.0993 billion shortfall. However, the balance shifted to a surplus in March at $263.8 million and continued to stay positive with $159.9 million in April and $220.5 million in May.
Tourism revenue hit $2.784 billion in June, while South Korean residents traveling abroad spent a total of $2.1874 billion. On average, foreign visitors spent $1,397 per person that month, whereas outbound South Korean travelers spent approximately $1,091 each. The resulting gap between inbound tourism income and outbound expenditure generated the $596.6 million surplus, which is the largest positive monthly balance in over 17 years.
Increased International Visitor Numbers Seen Across Key Markets
During June, South Korea welcomed 1,993,128 international travelers, reflecting a 23.1% rise compared to the same month in 2025. China remained the top inbound market with 649,582 visitors, showing a 36.2% increase year-over-year. Japan followed with 348,216 visitors, up 21.3%, while Taiwan contributed 223,127 arrivals. Visitors from the Americas totaled 219,948, and European visitors numbered 119,445 for the same period.
For the first six months of 2026, international arrivals reached 10,709,919, marking a 21% increase from the previous year. Credit card spending by foreign tourists in Korea amounted to 10.0389 trillion won during this period, a rise of 50.8% compared to the first half of 2025. In June alone, card expenditure hit 2.0544 trillion won, an increase of 66.4% year-over-year. Additionally, the Korea Tourism Organization documented 395,246 international arrivals via regional airports in June, a 42.5% increase.
Tourism Revenue Grows as Tourist Arrivals Expand
In the first half of the year, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism reported growth from several major long-haul markets. Arrivals from the Americas reached 1,077,287, an increase of 12.7% compared to a year earlier. European visitors rose by 20.2% to 738,943 over the same period. The United States contributed 811,974 visitors, showing an 11.1% rise, while Canada added 157,003 arrivals, up 17.1% from the first half of 2025.
South Korea’s latest monthly tourism surplus follows three consecutive years of annual deficits exceeding $10 billion. In 2023, the country recorded a deficit of $10.38 billion, followed by $10.21 billion in 2024, and a shortfall of $10.76 billion in 2025. Yet, by June 2026, the monthly balance has stayed positive for four months straight. The June tourism income outpaced outbound tourism spending by $596.6 million, marking the largest monthly surplus since the pandemic and the second-highest on record.