Inbound travelers to Korea drop 22.7% in 2017 due to THAAD row

By Yonhap

Published : Jan. 22, 2018 - 10:37

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he number of foreign tourists to South Korea slipped last year in the wake of a diplomatic row between Seoul and Beijing over the deployment of a US anti-missile system, government data showed Monday.

A total of 13.3 million foreigners visited South Korea in 2017, down 22.7 percent from a year earlier, according to the Korea Tourism Organization.

The drop has been widely expected, as Beijing has banned its travel agencies from selling Korea-bound trips since mid-March, in apparent retaliation over Seoul's deployment of the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system.

Tourists at Gyeongbok Palace, the main royal palace of the Joseon Dynasty, in downtown Seoul, on Jan. 6, 2018. (Yonhap)

The number of Chinese nationals who visited South Korea last year stood at 4.16 million, down 48.3 percent from 8 million tallied the previous year, the data showed. Chinese accounted for nearly half of the 17 million foreigners who visited South Korea in 2016.

After months of dispute, the two countries agreed in October to normalize their bilateral relations.

In contrast, more South Koreans traveled abroad, taking advantage of cheaper airfares offered by low-cost carriers. The number of outbound travelers rose 18.4 percent to 26.5 million in 2017, according to the data. (Yonhap)

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Inbound travelers to Korea drop 22.7% in 2017 due to THAAD row

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