Foreign arrivals at regional airports surge 37.4 percent

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 fore