More than 16 million foreigners visited South Korea last year, nearing the levels seen before COVID-19.

According to the Korea Tourism Organization on Friday, 16-point-37 million foreigners visited the country in 2024, up 50 percent from a year earlier. 

The number represents 94 percent of the figure for 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic started.

For the month of December 2024 the number of foreigners visiting South Korea came to one-point-27 million, with China accounting for the largest proportion, or 307-thousand people.

Japan came in second with about 251-thousand travelers, followed by Taiwan, the United States and Singapore.

The number of South Koreans going abroad reached 28-point-69 million last year.