How many foreign visitors entered Korea through regional airports in the first nine months of the year, and how did arrivals vary by airport?

Gimhae, Jeju, Cheongju and Daegu handled 3.24 million foreign arrivals from January through September, a 37.4 percent increase from the same period a year earlier. Cheongju had the largest increase at 59.5 percent, while Daegu recorded the smallest at 0.8 percent.

Which nationalities drove the increase in foreign arrivals through Korea’s regional airports?

Taiwanese visitors accounted for 960,000 arrivals, up 60.4 percent year-on-year. Arrivals from Japan rose 43.5 percent to 450,000, while those from China increased 29.4 percent to 1.3 million; the article attributes the Japanese increase partly to expanded routes linking Gimhae and Cheongju with regional Japanese cities.

What is Korea Airports Corporation doing to bring more foreign tourists directly to regional airports?

Korea Airports Corporation said it has expanded air routes and conducted joint overseas marketing campaigns. Its president, Kim Won-joon, said it would pursue international routes tailored to each airport in coordination with the ministry’s plan to develop five tourism zones, with Gimhae, Daegu, Cheongju, Yangyang and Muan serving as gateways to surrounding cities.

Foreign arrivals at regional airports surge 37.4 percent

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Summary

Foreign arrivals through Gimhae, Jeju, Cheongju and Daegu airports rose 37.4 percent from January through September, according to Korea Airports Corporation data released Thursday. The four airports handled 3.24 million foreign nationals, as more visitors entered Korea directly through regional gateways instead of the Seoul metropolitan area. Taiwanese arrivals led the increase, while arrivals from Japan and China also grew.

Key Facts

Cheongju International Airport recorded a 59.5 percent increase in foreign arrivals, followed by Gimhae at 47.9 percent, Jeju at 27.9 percent and Daegu at 0.8 percent.
Foreign arrivals through Incheon and Gimpo international airports rose 17.2 percent over the same period.
Taiwanese arrivals through regional airports totaled 960,000, including 650,000 through Gimhae, where arrivals from Taiwan increased 76.7 percent year-on-year.
Arrivals from Japan rose 43.5 percent to 450,000, while arrivals from China increased 29.4 percent to 1.3 million.
Korea Airports Corporation President Kim Won-joon said the corporation expanded air routes and conducted joint overseas marketing, and plans to develop airport-specific international route strategies with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

By Hankookilbo

Published Oct 31, 2026 4:38 pm KST

Gimhae International Airport / Courtesy of the Korea Airports Corporation

The number of foreign nationals entering Korea through regional airports rose by more than 37 percent in the first nine months of this year, with arrivals from Taiwan surging by 60.4 percent, according to data released by the Korea Airports Corporation (KAC).

An analysis of airport-by-airport arrival figures for January through September, released by KAC on Thursday, showed that 3.24 million foreign nationals entered the country through Gimhae, Jeju, Cheongju and Daegu airports, up 37.4 percent from the same period last year.

By airport, arrivals increased 59.5 percent at Cheongju International Airport, 47.9 percent at Gimhae International Airport, 27.9 percent at Jeju International Airport and 0.8 percent at Daegu International Airport.

By comparison, the number of foreign arrivals through Incheon and Gimpo international airports in the Seoul metropolitan area rose by just 17.2 percent over the same period.

The Korea Airports Corporation attributed the trend to a growing number of foreign tourists entering Korea directly through regional airports, bypassing the capital region.

Among foreign visitors arriving through regional airports, Taiwanese nationals accounted for 960,000, up 60.4 percent from a year earlier.

At Gimhae International Airport alone, arrivals from Taiwan reached 650,000, marking a 76.7 percent increase year-on-year.

Arrivals from Japan also climbed 43.5 percent to 450,000, driven in part by the expansion of routes connecting Gimhae and Cheongju airports with regional cities in Japan.

The number of Chinese arrivals rose 29.4 percent to 1.3 million, supported by an increase in flights operated by Chinese airlines to regional airports.

"We have worked to create more opportunities for foreign tourists to enter South Korea directly through regional airports by expanding air routes and conducting joint overseas marketing campaigns," said Kim Won-joon, president of the Korea Airports Corporation.

"Going forward, we will pursue strategies to boost international routes tailored to the characteristics of each airport, in coordination with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's policy to develop five major tourism zones, with Gimhae, Daegu, Cheongju, Yangyang and Muan airports serving as gateways connecting visitors to surrounding cities," he added.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.

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