On September 24, 2026, according to South Korea's Segye Ilbo, this year's Chuseok (Mid-Autumn Festival) holiday period is shorter than usual, and with rising fuel surcharges for international flights, demand for overseas travel is concentrated in neighboring countries.

According to travel platform 'NOL Universe', international flight bookings during the Chuseok holiday (24th-27th) show that short-distance destinations, including Japan, accounted for 84%, with Japan at 52.5%, Southeast Asia at 21.3%, and the Greater China region including China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan at 10.5%. Europe remained at 8.1%, and the Americas at 3.4%. The article emphasizes the high demand for travel to Japan, stating: 'It's only 4 days, but I want to go abroad... Half of Chuseok holiday travelers head to Japan.'

Last year, Chuseok was on October 6, and the holiday period continued from National Foundation Day (Gaecheonjeol) on October 3, making it possible to create a long holiday of up to 10 days by taking just one day of paid leave. Therefore, there was enough time for long-distance overseas travel, but this year's holiday is short, at 4 days, and neighboring countries, reachable in a few hours, appear to have been chosen.

Furthermore, as international crude oil prices rise due to the impact of the war in the Middle East, fuel surcharges for international airline tickets have also been increased starting this month, and the increased cost burden is also one of the factors.

The travel industry analyzes this year's Chuseok overseas travel characteristics as "short and casual."

Other travel agencies also report that demand for overseas travel during the Chuseok holiday is concentrated in Japan, the Greater China region, and Southeast Asia. 'YELLOW BALLOON' states: 'Especially in Japan, demand is growing not only for Tokyo and Osaka but also for Hokkaido, Kyushu, and even relatively lesser-known regional cities.'

Given the large number of visitors to Japan, voices on the Korean internet include: 'Everyone, wake up,' 'Let's stop all going to Japan,' 'This is like a colony,' and 'Is everyone pro-Japan?' On the other hand, positive comments were also seen, such as: 'People who haven't been to Japan have a strong negative reaction, but those who have been even once say they want to go again. That's Japan.' (Translation/Editing: Mae)