Category: K-Travel

Justin Bieber has officially hit Seoul. He and his wife, model Hailey Bieber, came through the airport arrivals hall, and he wasted no time opening his social media accounts. The post, captioned "Made it to Seoul," included a shot of the city skyline from a car window and a close-up selfie.

This visit has been a long time coming. Bieber first came to Korea for his debut headlining show in 2013, and there's no record of a separate trip since. Fans have waited nearly 13 years, so news of his arrival quickly blew up online.

The timing lines up with an event for SKYLRK, the fashion and lifestyle brand he launched last year. The Seoul popup opened on the 22nd and runs through the 25th in Seongsu-dong, a former factory district now known as Seoul's trendiest neighborhood. It's the brand's first physical event in Korea, with limited-edition items you can only get in Seoul. According to some reports, it's the fourth store after Tokyo, Indio in the US, and New York. On opening day, visitors reportedly lined up hours before the doors opened.

Bieber married Hailey in 2018, and the couple welcomed their first son in 2024. Hailey is also the founder of the beauty brand Rhode. Media outlets have floated the idea that Bieber might drop by the popup in person, but no specific schedule has been announced.

According to tourism data the ministry released on Oct. 22, more than 3 million additional foreigners entered Korea through September compared with the same period last year. Last year's full-year total was about 18.94 million, and this year's running count has already passed 90% of that. With a gap of just over 1.8 million left, the ministry projects Korea will beat last year's annual record within October. September alone brought in about 2.06 million visitors, up 21.1% from a year earlier.

By country, Greater China led the growth. Chinese visitors numbered about 5.47 million, up roughly 29%, while Taiwan sent about 1.86 million, up more than 30%. Add Hong Kong and the Greater China total comes close to 8 million. Japan contributed about 3.12 million, up 16.9%, and arrivals from the Americas rose 12.0% and from Europe 20.0%, so most regions are trending up.

Spending jumped, too. Foreign visitors' card spending was about 15.9 trillion won, more than 5 trillion won above the same period last year. Visitor numbers rose by about a fifth while spending climbed nearly half, which suggests each traveler is spending more.

Travelers are also fanning out beyond the capital. About 3.24 million foreigners, around 19% of the total, arrived through airports outside the Seoul metro area, including Gimhae, Jeju, Cheongju and Daegu. Another 1.58 million or so came through seaports such as Busan and Yeosu, bringing the airport and port total to about 4.82 million. One caveat: these figures track where people entered the country, so they may not match where visitors actually stayed or spent money.

Jeju Air, one of South Korea's biggest low-cost carriers, is opening a new nonstop route between Busan and Manila. The first flight is December 17, and the route will run five times a week: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The airline announced the plan on Oct. 13.

Here's the schedule. The outbound flight leaves Busan's Gimhae Airport at 9:30 p.m. and lands at Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport at 12:45 a.m., after midnight. The return leaves Manila at 1:45 a.m. and touches down in Gimhae at 7:20 a.m. the same day. All times are local to each airport.

To mark the launch, Jeju Air is running promotions. Through Oct. 25, members can use discount codes worth up to about half off, and the airline is also offering partner discounts on Philippine hotel and tour packages.

Busan's growing travel market is behind the expansion. According to the transport ministry's aviation data portal, Jeju Air carried about 1.29 million passengers on international flights from Busan through the third quarter of this year, up 13% from a year earlier. The airline currently flies 14 international routes from Busan to Mongolia, Japan, Greater China and Southeast Asia. Manila will make it 15.

Manila is a leading Philippine destination, known for Intramuros, the walled city from the Spanish colonial era. The airline also pointed to steady demand for big shopping malls, day trips to nearby islands and waterfalls, and golf trips. A Jeju Air representative said Busan is so popular with foreign tourists that a new slang term, "Busan-byeong" (roughly, "Busan fever"), has popped up, and expects more nonstop routes to bring more visitors to Korea too. The airline added that it will keep developing routes based on regional travel demand.

The Seoul city government shared the news on Oct. 8. In Condé Nast Traveler's reader poll, announced October 6 U.S. time, Seoul landed at the top of the large-city category. It's the first time Seoul has won this category. Last year, it came in fifth.

Tokyo sits just one notch behind in second place. The Japanese capital had won two years running, in 2024 and 2025. Third through fifth place went to Cambodia's capital, Shanghai and Sydney, in that order. Paris came in seventh and Singapore ninth.

Now in its 39th year, the awards are decided entirely by reader votes. Counting cities along with hotels, resorts, airlines and other categories, nearly 800,000 votes came in. Condé Nast Traveler launched in 1987 and belongs to the media group behind Vogue and The New Yorker.

In a September 2025 piece on Seoul, the magazine said global fascination with K-pop, K-beauty and K-dramas has turned the city into a hot travel destination. It also pointed to more than 2,000 years of history and culture underneath. Old traditions and cutting-edge tech, budget-friendly travel and luxury splurges all live side by side, the magazine said, with plenty of options in beauty, wellness, art and food.

Other outlets have been showering Seoul with praise too. In the U.K. edition of Condé Nast Traveler's friendliest cities ranking, Seoul came in third. The small everyday kindnesses stick with travelers, the magazine noted, like restaurant owners walking guests through a dish or locals pointing the way on the subway. Last month, Britain's Time Out named Jongno 3-ga, a historic downtown neighborhood, the coolest neighborhood of the year. And on Trazy Travel's global ranking of favorite cities among MZ travelers (millennials and Gen Z), Seoul has ranked No. 1 for five straight years.

Seoul's city government announced the result on October 8. Condé Nast Traveler released this year's Readers' Choice Awards rankings on October 6 local time, and Seoul landed at the top of the big city category. It was fifth the year before, so the city vaulted four places in a single year.

Tokyo came in second, followed by Phnom Penh, Shanghai and Sydney. Now in its 39th year, the awards are decided by reader votes, and about 800,000 ballots were cast across every category, from cities to hotels and resorts.

What the magazine highlighted about Seoul is its range. Beyond the pull of the Korean Wave, with K-pop, K-beauty and K-dramas, it pointed to a city where more than 2,000 years of history sits right next to cutting-edge technology. Beauty, wellness, art and food are all on the menu, the magazine said, and budgets can run from shoestring to luxury.

Other international outlets have been singing Seoul's praises too. The UK edition of Condé Nast Traveler ranked the city third in its 'friendliest cities' list this year. In September, Time Out named Jongno 3-ga the world's 'coolest neighborhood,' citing the hanok of Ikseon-dong, long-running restaurants, and the workshops and indie shops on Seosunra-gil, which runs along the stone wall of Jongmyo Shrine. And in a survey released in August, the US outlet Trazy Travel named Seoul a top city for global Millennials and Gen Z (known in Korea as 'MZ') for the fifth year in a row.

In tourism figures released Tuesday, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said about 11.6 million foreigners visited the city from January to August. That's up 21.6% from about 9.5 million in the same period last year, and the city called it the highest figure on record. August alone brought about 1.72 million visitors, 23.3% more than the roughly 1.4 million of August last year.

By nationality, China, Japan and Taiwan accounted for 66.4% of August's foreign visitors, about two-thirds of the total. China led at 36.9%, followed by Japan at 18.6% and Taiwan at 10.9%. In headcount terms, that's roughly 640,000 from China, 320,000 from Japan and 190,000 from Taiwan.

Spending grew even faster than visitor numbers. Foreign card spending from January to August came to about 7.8 trillion won, up 59.9% from about 4.9 trillion won a year earlier. Last year's full-year total was about 7.9 trillion won, so visitors have spent nearly a full year's worth in just eight months.

By category, shopping made up the biggest share last year at 46.6%, followed by medical and wellness tourism. This year, spending at large shopping malls led the growth, up 77.5%, while medical tourism and general dining both rose by around 60%. The map of where visitors spend has widened too. Foreign spending in the Seongsu area more than doubled from a year earlier (up 103.7%), and Myeong-dong rose 74.7%. The area near Dosan Park saw an especially big jump of 240.1%, and Gwangjang Market was up 127.4%.

Cho Seong-ho, director of the city's Tourism and Sports Bureau, said record visitor numbers and fast-growing tourism spending are boosting the economic impact. The city plans to build on its nighttime economy by linking after-dark content with local shopping districts, so visitors stay longer and spending spreads across Seoul. Detailed statistics are available on the Seoul Data Hub website.

The incident happened on Sept. 21 in an area under the Army's 25th Division. Troops were clearing a search path ahead of a UN Command survey of an area suspected of holding North Korean mines. During the work, a blast seriously injured three people, including a battalion commander, with injuries that included amputated ankles.

The military and the UN Command then investigated the site jointly. On the 29th, another North Korean-made plastic anti-personnel mine turned up near the blast site. On the 30th, the UN Command said its findings showed an armistice violation had occurred and that it is responding under the armistice framework. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the UN Command agreed that both blast sites and the newly found mine lie south of the military demarcation line. Defense Minister Kang Sin-chul stressed that North Korea bears responsibility and said Seoul will take phased steps using a range of tools, including cooperation with the international community and military responses. He did not spell out how.

Kim Yo Jong, sister of leader Kim Jong Un, dismissed the announcement, claiming the latest incident is a fabrication that mirrors the tactics of the wooden-box mine case from more than a decade ago. According to the North's account, no North Korean personnel crossed the border line, and since August South Korean forces have issued warning broadcasts and fired warning shots almost daily. She threatened swift retaliation if live fire occurs and said the North will add tactical response capabilities facing South Korea's 3rd Corps and 21st Division sector.

After the wooden-box mine incident on Aug. 4, 2015, the South Korean military announced within six days that North Korea was responsible and resumed loudspeaker broadcasts aimed at the North. Ten days later, North Korea fired artillery and tensions rose, but high-level talks at Panmunjom ended in an expression of regret from the North and an agreement to halt the broadcasts. How the military chooses its response this time, and how North Korea reacts, is seen as the key to keeping the situation under control.

According to figures released September 28 by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization, the number of foreign visitors to Korea through August set a new record. The country crossed 15 million cumulative arrivals about a month earlier than last year, and August alone outdrew every previous August on record.

The spending numbers stand out even more. Foreign visitors' tourism-related card spending topped ₩14 trillion (roughly $10.1 billion) over the same period — growing faster than the headcount itself, a sign that per-visitor spending is climbing.

Entry points are diversifying too. Instead of funneling through Incheon or Gimpo in the greater Seoul area, the share of visitors arriving via regional airports and ports climbed to its highest point this year, suggesting inbound tourism's center of gravity is inching away from Seoul. By nationality, visitors from Greater China — mainland China and Taiwan — rose sharply, and Southeast Asian countries including the Philippines, Vietnam, and Indonesia all saw increases without exception. Indonesia posted the steepest growth of any Southeast Asian country, emerging as a new growth engine.

Behind the surge is the government's push to lower entry barriers. Since late March, Korea has eased multiple-entry visa requirements for 11 Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines, Vietnam, and Indonesia, and since late May it has temporarily allowed visa-free entry for Indonesian group tourists. The Korea Tourism Organization has also set up a visa-assistance desk in New Delhi, India, and simplified screening paperwork in Manila, the Philippines, as part of its on-the-ground support.

The ministry said it plans to keep streamlining entry procedures and tying promotion to K-culture through the fourth quarter, aiming to sustain the momentum through October's peak travel season.

A shark that first turned up in the narrow artificial channel at Busan's North Port waterfront park on September 18 still hasn't made it back to open water. The city has taken to calling it "Bukangi" — a nickname derived from "Bukhang," Korean for North Port — and experts believe it's a tawny nurse shark or a type of blacktip shark, roughly 3 to 4 meters (about 10 to 13 feet) long.

Crowds kept coming throughout the Chuseok holiday. More than 100,000 people showed up on the first day of the holiday alone, an even bigger crowd turned out on the holiday itself, and roughly 80,000 to 90,000 more came on the final day despite bad weather — adding up to about 320,000 visitors over the three days. Tally it from when the shark was first spotted, and cumulative visitors climb to the mid-400,000s, dozens of times the usual holiday turnout of a few thousand people a day.

The problem is that where the shark is stuck isn't fit for it to live in. The artificial channel is only a few dozen meters wide and a few meters deep, and its curved layout appears to be why the shark can't find its way back out to sea. Korea's National Institute of Fisheries Science warned that the shark has been seen circling the same stretch and bumping into the walls, and that prolonged confinement could kill it. Police earlier tried using patrol boats to guide the shark out of the channel, but that effort hasn't succeeded yet.

With crowds swelling, the city of Busan, the Busan Facilities Corporation, Dong District Office, and police have been deploying dozens of staff daily for crowd and safety management — restricting access to the busiest stretches and closing off the channel area entirely at night. Officials plan to meet on September 28 to hash out a rescue plan, including using large nets to guide the shark out to open water.

Return traffic has kicked into high gear on the third day of the Chuseok holiday. With far more cars on the road than a typical Saturday, highways nationwide are seeing slow, stop-and-go conditions.

According to the Korea Expressway Corporation, roughly 5.9 million vehicles are expected to use the country's highways today. Of those, about 380,000 are heading from the greater Seoul area out to the provinces, while a larger share — roughly 520,000 — are making the return trip from the provinces back to Seoul.

Traffic heading toward Seoul is expected to start building early in the morning and peak in the late afternoon before easing, with conditions not fully clearing until early the next morning. The opposite direction, out of Seoul, is expected to peak around the same late-afternoon window and ease by evening.

Based on morning tollgate data, the Expressway Corporation projects the Busan-to-Seoul drive will take about seven hours. Trips from Daegu, Mokpo, and Ulsan to Seoul are expected to run over six hours as well, while closer cities like Daejeon and Gangneung should take a more manageable three hours or so. Traveling the opposite direction, from Seoul out to the provinces, tends to be quicker — the Seoul-to-Busan trip, for instance, is estimated at just over five hours.

Slow sections have already been reported since morning on the return-bound stretches of major routes, including the Gyeongbu, Nonsan-Cheonan, Seohaean, and Jungbu Naeryuk expressways. Separately, tolls are waived nationwide for the four days of this Chuseok holiday, which takes some of the sting out of an otherwise long slog for returning travelers.