The number of Koreans who traveled abroad reached a monthly high in January, according to figures from a government-run tourism agency Thursday.
A total of 2.11 million departed the country last month, up 15.1 percent from a year ago, said the Korea Tourism Organization. It cited cheap airfare as the main reason for the jump.
Travelers seen at Incheon International Airport. (Yonhap)
The number of visitors to Taiwan surged 15.9 percent to 57,700 during the cited period, as local airlines gave discounts after expanding services to the country.
About 9.6 percent more Koreans traveled to the United States, also thanks to promotional events.
Visitors to Japan, however, fell 2 percent, the organization said.
Inbound travelers also rose 17.5 percent on-year to 1.07 million in January, with half of them from China, it said.
Last year, the total number of outbound travelers had risen 20.1 percent to 19.31 million for the whole of 2015.
(khnews@heraldcorp.com)
