Singaporean media Lianhe Zaobao reported on the 9th that the "Global Hallyu Consumption Amount" by foreign visitors to South Korea in April reached a record high.

According to data from the Korea Tourism Organization, the "Global Hallyu Consumption Amount" by foreigners who visited South Korea in April this year reached 1.33 trillion KRW (approximately 140 billion JPY). This was a 54.6% increase compared to the same month last year and set a new record high for a single month.

According to South Korea's Yonhap News, following popular South Korean group BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan) holding a comeback performance in March at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, the "Global Hallyu Consumption Amount" for that month surpassed 1 trillion KRW (approximately 105 billion JPY) for the first time in history. BTS began their world tour in April in Goyang City, Gyeonggi Province, and related consumption further increased.

The "Global Hallyu Consumption Amount" refers to the amount calculated from the credit card spending by foreign visitors to South Korea, excluding consumption unrelated to tourism and consumption less influenced by Hallyu culture such as accommodation fees and transportation costs. The categories included are concert viewing, shopping, cultural experiences, fashion, sports spectating/participation, and more.

Looking at the breakdown by industry, in April's "Global Hallyu Consumption Amount," shopping was the highest at 38.4%, followed by beauty/health at 22.0%, fashion at 14.0%, and lifestyle/food and beverage (convenience stores, fried chicken, Japanese food, Chinese food, cafes, etc.). Consumption related to Korean cuisine was 10.2%, and consumption related to night culture was 1.6%.