On August 4, 2026, South Korean media outlet Hankook Ilbo reported that "foreign tourists visiting South Korea are rapidly increasing, and long lines of foreigners waiting for immigration are forming daily at Incheon International Airport."

According to South Korea's Ministry of Justice Immigration and Foreigner Policy Headquarters, the number of foreign arrivals in June this year was 2,038,364, an increase of 22.2% compared to the same month last year. The cumulative number of arrivals from the beginning of the year to June was 11,048,325, an increase of 20.6% (1,893,943 people) compared to the same period last year. Further increases are expected in July and August, the summer vacation season. According to Incheon International Airport Corporation, while Koreans' demand for overseas travel is concentrated during the Lunar New Year and Chuseok holidays, the demand for foreign visitors to South Korea tends to increase in July and August.

On the 31st of last month, when the newspaper visited Incheon Airport for an interview, 300 to 400 foreign travelers rushed into the immigration inspection area at once, and the waiting time for immigration exceeded 80 minutes. During this year's Lunar New Year holidays (February 16-18), immigration was also congested, with waiting times reaching a maximum of 1 hour and 54 minutes, and the current level is approaching that. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) recommends that immigration waiting times be kept within 45 minutes.

The article cites the low operating rate of inspection booths as one of the factors contributing to this congestion. As of 1:00 PM on the 31st of last month, only 11 out of 20 immigration inspection booths exclusively for foreigners were operational. Among the 10 inspection booths exclusively for Koreans, including priority booths for the mobility impaired and those for automated gate users, only 5 were operational.

The Ministry of Justice plans to increase the number of immigration officers to raise the operating rate of immigration inspection booths and alleviate congestion in the arrival lobby, but they are expected to be actually deployed around the end of the year.

The Incheon Airport Immigration and Foreigner Affairs Office stated, "Recently, 220,000 to 240,000 people use the airport daily, and the proportion of foreign travelers with infants and young children is also increasing, so congestion is occurring during certain hours."

In response to this article, South Korean netizens commented, "Why go to South Korea in such hot weather in mid-summer?", "We're happy they're coming to travel, but sightseeing in this scorching heat must be tough", "Aren't they coming without realizing it would be this hot?", "Considering prices and how to spend time, places like Vietnam would be much better, so why South Korea?", and "They should simplify immigration like Indonesia and Japan. Aren't they ashamed of still using analog methods?"

Additionally, comments such as "It's full of tourists from China and Southeast Asia. I wish they wouldn't come so much," "There are too many foreigners, and public safety seems to be getting worse," and "Rather than foreigners, aren't they more accurately Chinese people entering without a visa? Their purpose isn't tourism but employment and medical treatment" were also seen. (Translation/Editing by Asae)