Korea's air traffic surged to a record high in the first six months of the year on a sharp increase in international flights to and from the country, the government said Thursday.

The country's overall air traffic came to 358,195 flights in the January-June period, up 8.1 percent from the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

The rise was largely attributed to a steep increase in the number of international flights to and from Korea, along with those passing through the country's air space.

In the six months ended June 30, the number of international flights to and from the country spiked 9.9 percent on-year to 215,727, according to the ministry. The number of flights passing through the country's air space jumped 9.7 percent to 23,264.

Domestic flights also gained 4.9 percent to 119,204 over the cited period.

The increase in both international and domestic flights apparently follows a surge in passengers.

In the first three months of the year, international air passengers to and from Korea spiked 13.2 percent on-year to some 17.6 million, with domestic air passengers jumping 10.4 percent to 6.77 million. Figures for the first half are due later in the month.

By airport, flights handled by Incheon International Airport, the main gateway to Seoul, surged 8.3 percent on-year to 166,661 in the January-June period, while those handled by the airport on the southern resort island of Jeju also jumped 9.2 percent to 87,262, the ministry said in a press release. (Yonhap)