SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA / RankWire.AI / – South Korea recorded a $596.6 million tourism surplus in June 2026, its strongest monthly result since the COVID-19 pandemic. The figure marked a $1.44 billion improvement from June 2025, when the balance showed an $846.8 million deficit. Korea Tourism Organization data show June produced the second-highest monthly tourism surplus on record. Only October 2008 was higher, with a surplus of $661.5 million.
The tourism balance had stayed in deficit for 72 consecutive months from March 2020 through February 2026. January posted a $1.4034 billion shortfall, followed by a $1.0993 billion deficit in February. The balance turned positive in March with a $263.8 million surplus. It remained positive in April at $159.9 million and in May at $220.5 million, extending the recovery into June.
June tourism revenue reached $2.784 billion, while tourism expenditures totaled $2.1874 billion. Foreign visitors spent an average of $1,397 per person during the month. South Korean outbound travelers spent an average of $1,091 per person. The difference between tourism receipts and expenditures produced a fourth consecutive monthly surplus, marking a sharp change from the deficits recorded at the start of 2026.
Inbound arrivals climb sharply in June
South Korea welcomed 1,993,128 international visitors in June, up 23.1% from a year earlier, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism reported. China remained the largest source market with 649,582 visitors, an increase of 36.2% from June 2025. Japan followed with 348,216 arrivals, up 21.3%. Taiwan accounted for 223,127 visitors, while arrivals from the Americas reached 219,948 and Europe contributed 119,445.
International arrivals reached 10,709,919 during the first half of 2026, an increase of 21% from the previous year. Foreign tourist credit card spending totaled 10.0389 trillion won during the period, rising 50.8%. June alone generated 2.0544 trillion won in card spending, up 66.4% year over year. The Korea Tourism Organization also counted 395,246 international arrivals through regional airports in June, an increase of 42.5%.
Tourism spending strengthens alongside visitor growth
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism also reported growth from markets outside Korea’s largest Asian visitor sources. Arrivals from the Americas totaled 1,077,287 in the first half, rising 12.7% from a year earlier. European arrivals increased 20.2% to 738,943, while other long-haul markets also recorded gains. The United States contributed 811,974 visitors through June, up 11.1%, while Canada contributed 157,003, an increase of 17.1%.
The June surplus followed three consecutive years in which South Korea recorded annual tourism deficits above $10 billion. Those deficits totaled $10.38 billion in 2023, $10.21 billion in 2024 and $10.76 billion in 2025. By June 2026, the monthly tourism balance had remained positive for four straight months. June receipts exceeded tourism expenditures by $596.6 million, giving South Korea its largest monthly tourism surplus since the pandemic and its second-highest on record.