Border tensions cost South Korean frontier counties $22 mil. in tourism, damage
South Korea's border regions saw tourism spending fall by more than 30 billion won ($22 million) and reported hundreds of millions of won in direct damage during 2024 and 2025, when North Korea's trash-filled balloon launches and tit-for-tat loudspeaker broadcasts under the former Yoon Suk Yeol administration escalated inter-Korean tensions. According to the data submitted by Gyeonggi and Gangwon…
South Korea's border regions experienced a significant decline in tourism spending and incurred direct damages amounting to over $22 million during 2024 and 2025 due to escalating tensions with North Korea. In 2024 alone, a decrease of more than 30 billion won in combined tourism spending was reported in the five border counties of Gangwon Province, according to data from the Korea Tourism Data Lab.
Gyeonggi Province in particular reported 24 incidents of damage worth 414.42 million won from North Korea's waste balloon launches between May 28, 2024, and November 28, 2025.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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