US, May 21 -- South Korea's tourism rebound has crossed into record territory. In April 2026, the country welcomed about 2.03 million foreign visitors, up 19% year over year, following March's also exceeding 2 million arrivals. January-April arrivals reached 6.77 million, the highest four-month total on record, with China, Japan, Taiwan, and Hong Kong leading the surge.

The Korea story is partly a triumph of soft power: K-culture, food, beauty, regional airport expansion, and targeted government support. Foreign visitor spending in April reached an estimated 1.9 trillion won, the highest monthly level since tracking began in 2018.

But Korea's boom is also happening as the United States struggles to regain international momentum. U.S. Tr...