The number of foreigners who visited Korea in March this year increased by more than 30% from a year earlier.
It is because "ARMY" (BTS fandom) from around the world are arriving in Korea in large numbers ahead of BTS's Gwanghwamun comeback concert scheduled for the 21st.
According to the tally by the Ministry of Justice's Korea Immigration Service on the 20th, a total of 1,099,700 foreigners (excluding crew members) entered the country from March 1 to 18 this year. That is an increase of about 271,200 (32.7%) from 828,500 during the same period last year.
The increase in foreign tourists visiting Korea to align with the BTS comeback concert on the 21st appears to have had a major impact on the rise in foreign entries. Some expect that if those entering on the 19th–20th, just before the concert date, are included, the growth rate of entries will exceed 50% from a year earlier.
BTS will release its fifth studio album "Arirang" (ARIRANG) at 1 p.m. that day. The next day, on the 21st at 8 p.m., the group will hold a free comeback concert, "BTS The Comeback Live | ARIRANG," in the Gwanghwamun Square area of Seoul. In addition to 22,000 official spectators, a crowd of up to 260,000 people, including tourists, is expected to gather for the concert.
The "BTS effect" was also evident in age-specific statistics. Among foreign entrants this month, teenagers and those in their 20s—the core BTS fan base—accounted for a particularly large share. Teenage foreign entrants rose 40.0%, from 65,600 last year to 91,800 this year. Entrants in their 20s also increased 35.2%, from 257,000 to 347,500, outpacing the overall average growth rate. Entrants aged 9 and under also increased 54.0%.
By region, entrants from Asia accounted for the largest share at 910,300. They were followed by North America (92,000), Europe (71,500) and Oceania (15,100). Entries increased on every continent except Africa, with Europe in particular seeing a 51.0% increase in entrants over the past year.
The Ministry of Justice is implementing "special immigration inspection measures" to facilitate foreign tourists entering for the BTS concert. The plan is to add inspection counters in areas and time slots with concentrated foreign passenger traffic and to extend inspectors' working hours or expand support staff to minimize wait times.
The day before, a meeting of related agencies to improve congestion at Incheon Airport was held, chaired by the head of the Korea Immigration Service, with officials from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Incheon International Airport Corporation (IIAC) in attendance.
A Ministry of Justice official said, "Through interagency cooperation, we will devise ways to shorten foreign nationals' immigration screening wait times and work to boost domestic tourism and local economies."