LEE'S 1ST YEAR IN OFFICE President bets big on regional tourism

President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a meeting to discuss tourism strategy at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Feb. 25. Korea Times photo by Wang Tae-seog

No president in Korean history has taken tourism more seriously than President Lee Jae Myung.

Previous presidents did not feel the need to focus heavily on tourism because the Korean economy largely relied on exports such as electronics, refined petroleum products, automobiles and semiconductors.

However, the situation looked quite different when Lee took office last year.

The global popularity of Korean dramas, films and K-pop artists has drawn international tourists to Korea to visit locations featured in their favorite shows, eat dishes enjoyed by celebrities and shop for beauty products used by K-pop stars.

Lee also had his own reason to push for tourism, as he seeks to alleviate Korea's slowing economic growth, demographic decline and weak regional economies.

The president has described tourism as a “core national strategic industry,” stressing that the country must move beyond Seoul-centered tourism growth to achieve sustainable expansion.

“Tourism is a key national strategic industry for Korea,” Lee said during a meeting to discuss national tourism strategy in February. “If 80 percent of foreign tourists continue to remain concentrated in Seoul, the growth of the tourism industry will inevitably hit its limits.”

One year into the Lee administration, Korea’s tourism industry is showing signs of rapid growth, boosted by the government's push.

Korea attracted a record 18.94 million foreign visitors last year and is on pace to surpass that figure this year. According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the country received about 4.76 million foreign tourists during the first quarter of this year, up 23 percent from a year earlier, despite geopolitical uncertainties in the Middle East. March alone drew around 2.06 million visitors, marking the highest monthly figure ever.

Efforts to develop regional tourism

Experts said the Lee administration is different from previous administrations in that it focuses more on developing regional tourism and creating long-term plans, rather than just running short-term campaigns.

Over the past year, the government has rolled out a series of measures aimed at redistributing tourism-driven economic gains to areas outside the capital region.

It expanded its “half-price travel” campaign to 16 regions, offering tourists regional gift vouchers covering up to half of their travel expenses when visiting areas experiencing population declines. Young travelers can receive benefits of up to 140,000 won ($94) through the program.

The government has also intensified efforts to improve the quality of the tourism industry by introducing broader tourism “value up” measures designed to convert the global popularity of K-culture into sustained inbound tourism. As part of that effort, the administration has worked to make it easier for foreign visitors to enter Korea, including piloting a visa free program for group tours from Indonesia.

Structural changes

The administration has also moved to institutionalize its tourism push. A revised Framework Act on Tourism elevated the tourism strategy meeting from a prime minister-led body to one directly overseen by the president. The revision also strengthened policy evaluation and feedback mechanisms aimed at improving coordination across ministries.

Experts said the structural changes indicate that tourism is now being treated as a long-term national agenda rather than a short-term campaign.

“The fact that the meeting is now chaired directly by the president carries significant meaning,” Yoon Tae-hwan, a professor at the Department of Hotel and Convention Management at Dong-Eui University, said. “It shows that the government now recognizes tourism as a major national industry and intends to take it as an important pillar of economic growth.”

Yoon added that the recent surge in inbound tourism should not be viewed as a temporary rebound.

“I do not think this is a short-term recovery at all. It is clearly structural growth and I do not believe Korea has even reached its peak yet,” he said. “Compared with competing tourism countries such as Japan, Korea still has substantial room to grow in quantitative terms.”

President Lee Jae Myung takes a selfie with international tourists at the National Museum of Korea in Seoul, Feb. 26. Newsis

Future challenges

According to the professor, however, Korea’s tourism industry must now shift its focus from simple visitor numbers toward improving broader measures such as spending, length of stay and regional distribution.

“The future direction should no longer be centered only on the number of tourists. Indicators such as tourism spending and the length of visitors’ stays should become more important,” he said.

Although regional tourism is increasing, Seoul is still the only destination for many tourists and that is not sustainable, he noted.

“Korea has effectively operated under a single-pole tourism system,” Yoon said. “The country must now move toward a multipolar system, allowing different regions like Busan, Gangwon Province, Jeju Island and the Jeolla provinces to stand on their own as travel hubs.”

Busan has emerged as one of the clearest examples of this shift. The southeastern port city surpassed one million foreign visitors during the first quarter for the fastest pace on record, reflecting broader efforts to diversify inbound tourism destinations.

Yoon said Korea should benchmark regional tourism models like Japan’s Kansai area, where cities such as Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe and Nara operate as interconnected tourism destinations supported by efficient transportation infrastructure.

“When tourists arrive in Osaka, they do not only stay in Osaka. They naturally travel to Kyoto, Kobe and nearby cities because they are connected as one tourism zone,” he said. “Korea also needs to build broader regional tourism networks supported by better accessibility.”

Regional destinations must create identities

Another tourism industry official also stressed the need for local regions to develop their own unique tourism identities rather than relying solely on the global popularity of Korean culture and favorable exchange rates.

“There needs to be greater efforts by the government, businesses and society to provide content that allows visitors to enjoy Korea more deeply,” the official said on condition of anonymity.

“If you look at Japan, although Tokyo and Osaka attract the largest numbers of tourists, many visitors also travel to smaller regional cities because those places have their own distinct attractions and content,” they added.

“In Korea’s case, it is difficult to deny that part of the current tourism boom is being supported by the weak Korean won and the global popularity of K-culture. Going forward, regional areas will need stronger, self-sustaining competitiveness.”

Despite growing momentum, experts said Korea still faces structural tasks including improving regional airports, transportation connectivity and localized tourism content to achieve its longer-term tourism goals.

Lee has set a target of attracting 30 million foreign tourists annually by 2029, while emphasizing that tourism growth should benefit local economies and small businesses nationwide rather than remain concentrated in the capital region.

“Tourism growth must go beyond quantitative expansion and move toward qualitative growth,” Lee said in February. “The benefits of tourism should be shared with local commercial districts and small business owners across the country.”