The number of foreigners who visited South Korea in the first quarter of the year rose by more than 20 percent, thanks to the continuing "hallyu" (Korean wave) popularity and improved national status, government officials said Monday.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said 2.48 million foreign tourists visited South Korea between January and March, up 22 percent from a year earlier.

The robust growth brightened the outlook for the government's goal to attract 11 million foreign tourists in 2012. The government's "Visit Korea Year 2010-2012," a three-year program to enhance the country's tourism industry, ends this year.

By nationality, Japan topped the list with 900,000 visitors, followed by China with 520,000, the United States with 150,000, and Taiwan with 120,000.

The ministry attributed the growing foreign tourist arrivals to an increase in travel demand, various government-led campaigns, the Korean wave, and increased visibility from hosting international gatherings such as the G20 summit and the Nuclear Security Summit.

Meanwhile, a total of 3.36 million South Korean tourists went abroad in the January-March period, up 4.1 percent from the same period last year, according to the ministry.

The number of South Korea's outbound travelers is forecast to reach 13 million in 2012 on the back of improved economic conditions and stability in foreign exchange rates, it said. (Yonhap)