According to the Seoul Shinmun, South Korea, on May 31, 2026, the number of foreign tourists who visited Seoul last month increased by 18.8% compared to the same month last year, reaching 1.56 million people, and credit card spending increased by 50.5%.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced the results of an analysis of data from the Korea Tourism Organization and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. According to the analysis, the cumulative number of visitors from January to April was 5.2 million people, a 21.4% increase compared to the same period last year (4.28 million people).

Foreign tourists' card spending in Seoul last month was 1.1532 trillion won (approximately 122 billion yen), a 50.5% increase compared to the same month last year. The total card spending by all foreigners was 1.9992 trillion won, and excluding online spending (397.4 billion won) from this amount, spending in Seoul accounted for 72.3%.

The growth rate of credit card spending significantly exceeded the growth rate of tourist numbers, and it was analyzed that this "indicates that Seoul tourism is achieving not only quantitative growth but also qualitative growth."

By sector, spending at large shopping malls reached 245.2 billion won, a significant increase of 62.5% year-on-year. Medical tourism related spending increased by 59.2%, and beauty related spending increased by 35.0%.

By autonomous district, Gangnam-gu was the highest at 29.1%, followed by Jung-gu, where Myeongdong is located, at 27.5%, Mapo-gu, where Hongdae is located, at 7.4%, Seocho-gu at 6.5%, and Jongno-gu at 5.5%. The Seoul Metropolitan Government analyzed that in addition to traditional tourist commercial areas like Myeongdong and Dongdaemun, high-value-added consumption areas in the Gangnam area such as Apgujeong, Cheongdam, and COEX, and areas like Hongdae, Seongsu, and Yeouido, are diversifying the tourist consumption areas.

Regarding tourist numbers by country/region, China had the most at 440,000 people, followed by Japan at 230,000, Taiwan at 150,000, the United States at 130,000, and the Philippines at 60,000. Taiwan recorded a 34.4% increase compared to the same period last year, the highest growth rate. The number of Chinese tourists also recovered to 112.6% compared to April 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, and 105.8% for the cumulative period of January to April of the same year.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government evaluates that "1.56 million foreign visitors and tourism spending exceeding 1 trillion won demonstrate that Seoul tourism has grown both quantitatively and qualitatively."

Regarding this article, Korean netizens left comments with mixed opinions, such as: "The increase in foreign tourists is simply because the value of the Korean won has fallen to the level of scrap paper," "Aren't most of the shops where Chinese people visit and spend money run by Chinese people?", "Chinese people don't need to come," "We appreciate them using cards," and "Thanks to this, I think the economy is being revitalized, which is good." (Translation/Editing: Asae)