On August 31, 2026, South Korea's Maeil Business Newspaper reported that Korea's popularity as an overseas travel destination for Japanese people is rapidly increasing.

According to the article, an announcement by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization states that 8,136,000 Japanese people traveled overseas from January to July this year, and of these, 2,280,000 visited Korea, accounting for 28.0% of the total.

As a result, Korea significantly outpaced the second-place United States (13.1%) and became the most visited overseas destination for Japanese people. This was followed by Taiwan at 9.4%, Thailand at 6.8%, and Vietnam at 6.1%. What is particularly striking about Korea's popularity is the growth rate from the previous year. While the total number of Japanese overseas travelers from January to July this year only increased by 4.1% compared to the same period last year, the number of Japanese people who visited Korea increased by 18.8%. The percentage of Korean visitors among Japanese overseas travelers also rose by 3.4 percentage points in one year, from 24.6% in the same period last year.

The article cites as reasons for this background the expansion of air routes connecting Japan and Korea, the popularity of "K-culture" such as Korean dramas, music, and beauty, and advantages in travel costs due to the exchange rate between the yen and the won.

The South Korean government and tourism industry are also focusing on attracting more Japanese tourists. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization are promoting intensive PR for new air routes, ticket discounts, and the attraction of charter flights using regional airports, and are reportedly planning to hold large-scale PR events for Korean tourism at Fukuoka Airport and other locations to coincide with the "Silver Week" long holiday in September.

Furthermore, in the first half of this year, card payments by Japanese tourists in Korean regional cities such as Busan, Jeju, and Gangwon Province increased by approximately 145% compared to the same period last year. In particular, the number of Japanese people using regional airports is increasing, with Japanese people entering Korea via Gimhae Airport from January to July this year increasing by 52% compared to the same period last year. Moreover, the overall number of foreign tourists visiting Korea has also significantly increased. From January to July this year, 12.8 million foreign visitors came to Korea, a 21.3% increase compared to the same period last year. The amount spent by foreigners using cards within Korea also reportedly reached approximately 12 trillion 859 billion won (approximately 1.4 trillion yen), a 48.3% increase compared to the same period last year.

Regarding this, South Korean netizens commented, "Who knew Korea would become so popular among Japanese people?", "It's amazing that it's more than double the US.", "Not just K-pop and Korean food, but also beauty-focused trips are increasing.", "Korea is close to Japan, so being able to go easily is probably a big factor.", "It's good that Japanese tourists are increasing in Korea's regional cities too.", and "Koreans also like traveling to Japan, so I think it's good for both sides if tourist numbers increase."

Additionally, comments included: "Is this the era where Koreans shop in Japan and Japanese people shop in Korea?", "Japanese tourists have good manners, so they're welcome.", "It's important to focus on the tourism industry to earn foreign currency.", "I feel that the number of foreign tourists in the city has increased recently.", and "It's good to focus on attracting tourists, but I hope they also properly address overtourism." (Translation/Editing: Higuchi)