The number of foreign travelers to South Korea grew in the first four months of this year as visitors from China and Southeast Asian countries increased, the nation's customs office said Thursday.
According to data offered by the Korea Customs Service, the number of travelers to South Korea came to 6.21 million during the January-April period, up 4 percent from 5.91 million a year earlier.
The growth stemmed from an increase in travelers from China and Southeast Asian countries, including Thailand, who opted for South Korea instead of visiting Japan after March's earthquake.
Chinese people traveling to South Korea totaled 250,000 during the four-month period, up 19 percent from a year earlier, while those from Thailand surged 31 percent to 104,000, the data showed.
Travelers between South Korea and Japan declined sharply. From March 12 to April 30, the number of travelers between the two nations dived 34 percent to 950,000 from the same period a year earlier, the data showed.
Meanwhile, the data showed that the total number of outbound travelers from South Korea came to 6.05 million during the first four months of this year, up 2 percent from a year earlier.