SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA / RankWire.AI / – South Korea experienced a tourism surplus of $596.6 million in June 2026, marking its strongest monthly performance since the COVID-19 outbreak. This figure represents a $1.44 billion increase compared to June 2025, when the country recorded an $846.8 million deficit. According to data from the Korea Tourism Organization, June’s surplus was the second-largest on record, surpassed only by October 2008, which had a $661.5 million surplus.
After 72 straight months of deficit from March 2020 through February 2026, the tourism balance turned positive in March, posting a $263.8 million surplus, following January’s $1.4034 billion shortfall and February’s $1.0993 billion deficit. The upward trend continued with April’s $159.9 million and May’s $220.5 million, extending the recovery into June.
In June, tourism revenue reached $2.784 billion, while expenditures by tourists totaled $2.1874 billion. The average spending per foreign visitor was $1,397 during the month, whereas outbound South Korean travelers spent an average of $1,091 per person. The difference between receipts and expenditures resulted in a fourth consecutive monthly surplus, signaling a notable turnaround from the deficits seen earlier in 2026.
Sharp Increase in International Arrivals in June
In June, South Korea received 1,993,128 international visitors, reflecting a 23.1% rise from the same month last year, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. China remained the primary source with 649,582 visitors, a 36.2% growth from June 2025. Japan followed with 348,216 arrivals, up 21.3%. Visitors from Taiwan totaled 223,127, while arrivals from the Americas reached 219,948 and Europe contributed 119,445.
The total international arrivals for the first half of 2026 stood at 10,709,919, representing a 21% increase over the previous year. Foreign tourists’ credit card spending reached 10.0389 trillion won, growing by 50.8%. In June alone, card expenditures hit 2.0544 trillion won, a 66.4% increase year over year. Additionally, the Korea Tourism Organization reported 395,246 international arrivals through regional airports in June, a rise of 42.5%.
Tourism Outlay Grows Alongside Visitor Numbers
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism also observed an increase in arrivals from regions beyond South Korea’s primary Asian markets. In the first half of 2026, arrivals from the Americas totaled 1,077,287, up 12.7% from the previous year. European visitors rose by 20.2% to 738,943, with other long-haul markets also showing gains. The United States contributed 811,974 visitors through June, an 11.1% rise, while Canada added 157,003, up 17.1%.
This June surplus marks a significant turnaround after three consecutive years of annual tourism deficits exceeding $10 billion, which reached $10.38 billion in 2023, $10.21 billion in 2024, and $10.76 billion in 2025. By June 2026, the country had maintained a positive tourism balance for four straight months. The June receipts surpassed expenditures by $596.6 million, making it South Korea’s largest monthly tourism surplus since the pandemic and its second-highest on record.