South Korea's tourism deficit worsened in January from a month earlier as the coronavirus outbreak is leading to serious declines in tourism around the world.

According to data from the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute on Wednesday, South Korea posted tourism revenue of one-point-58 billion dollars, while its spending in the area came to around two-point-five billion dollars in January.

Accordingly, the country posted a tourism deficit of 928 million dollars in the month, 187 million dollars larger than the previous month. 

The country's tourism revenue plunged by 303 million dollars, or some 360 billion won, in January from a month earlier. 

The drop is attributed to a decrease in the number of foreign tourists to South Korea due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. It began to spread in the country in late January following a rapid spread in China.