The number of international visitors to South Korea plummeted by more than 70 percent during the first half of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a lawmaker Sunday.

The number of inbound foreign travelers during the January-June period reached 2.14 million, marking a 74.7 percent plunge compared to the 8.44 million tally from a year ago, according to Rep. Lim O-kyeong of the ruling Democratic Party.

Lim cited data submitted by the culture ministry ahead of the annual parliamentary audit of the government.

"The government should prop up domestic spending by developing various tourism projects, such as healing-themed programs, cultural heritage visit campaigns and region-specific travel courses," Lim said. (Yonhap)