Korea's air passenger traffic continued to rise at a steady pace in May on strong increases in both international and domestic passengers, government data showed Tuesday.

International passengers to and from the country climbed 4.4 percent on-year to 5.68 million, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

Domestic air passenger traffic gained 5.3 percent from the same month last year to 2.73 million. The increase in international passengers was partly attributed to a rise in the number of Koreans going abroad.

"International passengers increased 4.4 percent from the same month last year to 5.6 million on a rise in the number of local residents going overseas following the launch of new air routes by low cost carriers and the designation of a special holiday in May that created consecutive holidays," the ministry said in a press release.

By country, passengers to and from China rose 3.1 percent on-year to some 1.75 million in May, while those to and from Japan slipped 1 percent to about 991,000. Passengers to and from Southeast Asia spiked 9.1 percent to nearly 1.86 million.

Out of all international air passengers to and from South Korea, 63.2 percent used flights operated by South Korean flag carriers, up from 62.1 percent a year earlier.

The combined market share of Korean budget carriers expanded to 17.5 percent from 13 percent over the cited period, while that of the two largest flag carriers -- Korean Air and Asiana Airlines -- continued to dwindle to 45.7 percent from 49.1 percent in May 2015 and 51.1 percent in the previous year, according to the ministry.

The rise in domestic passengers was largely attributed to an increase in the number of passengers to and from the country's southern resort island of Jeju, which gained 5.8 percent on-year to over 2.35 million. Passengers using other domestic routes gained 2.6 percent to some 376,000 over the cited period.

International air cargo traffic rose 2.2 percent on-year to some 1.61 million tons in May, the ministry said. (Yonhap)