March 12, 2024
SEOUL – A third of foreign arrivals in Korea last year were under 30 amid the continuing popularity of Korean popular culture among younger generations worldwide.
The Korea Tourism Organization’s data, released Monday, showed a surge in young people coming to Korea.
Of the 11.03 million foreign nationals who entered the country in 2023, 3.93 million, or 35.6 percent, were 30 years old or younger. This is a significant jump from 27.6 percent in 2013, when the overall number was only slightly higher, at 12 million.
Breaking it down further, 2.79 million visitors were aged 21-30, while 1.14 million were 20 or younger.
According to the data, the age profile of foreigners coming to Korea has been steadily rising since 2013, with a slight dip during the COVID-19 pandemic–2020 and 2021.
The age profile of people coming from Japan got significantly younger, with 42.3 percent of them being under 30 in 2023, a leap from 15.7 percent a decade ago.
Similar trends can be observed among Chinese, with an 8.8 percentage point increase to 38.3 percent, and people from the Philippines, with a 10 percentage point rise to 20.6 percent.
Even countries farther away from Korea are experiencing the influence of Hallyu.
France witnessed a 15 percentage point increase in young visitors, reaching 43.6 percent in 2023, while the US saw an increase from 25.8 percent to 28.5 percent during the same period.