SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA / RankWire.AI / – South Korea registered a tourism surplus of $596.6 million in June 2026, marking its strongest monthly outcome since the COVID-19 crisis began. The figure represents an improvement of $1.44 billion compared to June 2025, when the balance showed an $846.8 million deficit. According to data from the Korea Tourism Organization, June’s surplus is the second-largest monthly figure on record, with only October 2008 surpassing it at $661.5 million.
Following a 72-month streak of deficits from March 2020 to February 2026, the tourism balance turned positive in March. January saw a $1.4034 billion shortfall, followed by a $1.0993 billion deficit in February. In March, the balance shifted to a $263.8 million surplus. The positive trend continued through April at $159.9 million and May at $220.5 million, extending the recovery into June.
In June, tourism revenue reached $2.784 billion, with tourism expenditures totaling $2.1874 billion. Foreign visitors spent an average of $1,397 per person during the month, while outbound Korean travelers spent an average of $1,091. The difference between receipts and expenditures resulted in a fourth consecutive monthly surplus, signaling a significant turnaround from the deficits experienced earlier in 2026.
International Visitor Numbers Surge in June
In June, South Korea saw a total of 1,993,128 international arrivals, reflecting a 23.1% increase from the same month last year, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The largest source market remained China, with 649,582 visitors, marking a 36.2% rise from June 2025. Japan followed with 348,216 arrivals, up 21.3%. Taiwan contributed 223,127 visitors, while arrivals from the Americas reached 219,948 and those from Europe numbered 119,445.
During the first half of 2026, international arrivals totaled 10,709,919, an increase of 21% compared to the previous year. Foreign tourists’ credit card spending reached 10.0389 trillion won, a rise of 50.8%. Specifically, in June alone, card spending hit 2.0544 trillion won, up 66.4% year over year. Additionally, the Korea Tourism Organization recorded 395,246 international arrivals through regional airports in June, a 42.5% increase.
Visitor Growth Bolsters Tourism Spending
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism also reported an uptick in arrivals from markets outside Korea’s main Asian visitor sources. Arrivals from the Americas reached 1,077,287 in the first half of the year, increasing 12.7% from the previous year. European arrivals grew 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 brought in 157,003, an increase of 17.1%.
The June surplus marks a notable shift following three consecutive years during which South Korea’s annual tourism deficits exceeded $10 billion. In 2023, deficits totaled $10.38 billion, followed by $10.21 billion in 2024 and $10.76 billion in 2025. As of June 2026, the monthly tourism balance has been positive for four straight months. June’s receipts surpassed expenditures by $596.6 million, making it the largest monthly tourism surplus since the pandemic and the second-highest on record.
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