1~8월 외국인 관광객 1505만 명…카드로 14조 원 넘게 썼다
Foreign Visitors to Korea Reach 15.05 Million by August, Card Spending Tops 14 Trillion Won
Part of the September 30, 2026 daily edition
올해 1~8월 한국을 찾은 외국인 관광객은 1505만 명으로, 1~8월 집계로는 역대 최고치입니다. 문화체육관광부에 따르면 8월 한 달 방한객은 225만 명으로 지난해 같은 달보다 23.3% 늘었고, 월별로도 역대 최대였습니다. 지난해에는 10월 중순쯤에야 1500만 명을 넘었습니다. 외국인이 관광 분야에서 쓴 카드 소비액은 14조 180억 원으로, 지난해 같은 기간 9조 4396억 원보다 48.5% 늘었습니다. 필리핀 45만 4000명(16.1% 증가), 인도네시아 29만 5000명(22.5% 증가) 등 동남아 주요국 방한객도 크게 늘었습니다. 문체부는 동남아 관광객의 출입국 불편을 줄이려 노력했고, 현지 인플루언서와 SNS로 입소문을 낸 것도 효과가 있었다고 밝혔습니다.
Translation
From January to August this year, 15.05 million foreign tourists visited Korea, the highest figure ever recorded for that period. According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, 2.25 million visitors came in August alone, up 23.3% on the same month last year and the most for any single month on record. Last year, the 15 million mark was not passed until around mid-October. Foreign visitors' card spending in the tourism sector came to 14.018 trillion won, up 48.5% from 9.4396 trillion won in the same period last year. Visitors from major Southeast Asian countries also rose sharply, including 454,000 from the Philippines (up 16.1%) and 295,000 from Indonesia (up 22.5%). The ministry said it had worked to reduce the immigration inconveniences faced by Southeast Asian tourists, and that spreading word of mouth through local influencers and social media had also paid off.
Vocabulary
- 방한객명사 (noun)visitor to Korea
- 집계명사 (noun)tally, aggregate count
- 역대명사 (noun)all-time, of all past records
- 소비액명사 (noun)amount spent
- 중순명사 (noun)middle (of a month)
- 출입국명사 (noun)entry and exit (immigration)
- 입소문명사 (noun)word of mouth
- 효과명사 (noun)effect
Grammar points
-에야not until, only at (a later time)
-에야 attaches to a time and says the event did not happen until then: 10월 중순쯤에야, not until around mid-October. It carries a sense that this was late, which is what makes the comparison with this year's August work.
Example: 지난해에는 10월 중순쯤에야 1500만 명을 넘었습니다.
Last year, the 15 million mark was not passed until around mid-October.
N(으)로at, coming to (a figure), and then
(으)로 after a number states the figure and lets the sentence go on to compare it: 14조 180억 원으로, coming to 14.018 trillion won, (up 48.5%). Statistics news uses this pattern in almost every sentence.
Example: 외국인이 관광 분야에서 쓴 카드 소비액은 14조 180억 원으로, 지난해 같은 기간 9조 4396억 원보다 48.5% 늘었습니다.
Foreign visitors' card spending in the tourism sector came to 14.018 trillion won, up 48.5% from 9.4396 trillion won in the same period last year.
-다고 밝히다to state that, to announce that
-다고 turns a statement into reported speech, and 밝히다 marks it as an official statement: 효과가 있었다고 밝혔습니다, (the ministry) said it had been effective. The claim belongs to the speaker, not to the newspaper.
Example: 문체부는 동남아 관광객의 출입국 불편을 줄이려 노력했고, 현지 인플루언서와 SNS로 입소문을 낸 것도 효과가 있었다고 밝혔습니다.
The ministry said it had worked to reduce the immigration inconveniences faced by Southeast Asian tourists, and that spreading word of mouth through local influencers and social media had also paid off.
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