{
  "id": 17363945,
  "title": "Foreign arrivals at regional airports surge 37.4 percent",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/31/foreign-arrivals-at-regional-airports-surge-37-4-percent",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-31T08:02:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/20261031/foreign-arrivals-at-regional-airports-surge-374-percent"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Foreign arrivals through regional airports in Korea experienced a significant surge of 37.4 percent during the first nine months of the current year, according to data released by the Korea Airports Corporation (KAC). This increase can be attributed to a growing number of foreign tourists directly entering the country via regional airports, bypassing larger hubs like Incheon and Gimpo, which saw only a 17.2 percent rise during the same period.\n\nThe data, analyzed by KAC and released on Thursday, showed that foreign nationals entered Korea through Gimhae, Jeju, Cheongju, and Daegu airports, reaching a total of 3.24 million. This marked a 37.4 percent increase compared to the same period last year. Among these airports, Cheongju International Airport saw the highest growth at 59.5 percent, followed by Gimhae International Airport at 47.9 percent, Jeju International Airport at 27.9 percent, and Daegu International Airport at a modest 0.8 percent.\n\nThe rise in arrivals at these regional airports can be seen as a response to the ongoing trend of foreign tourists choosing to enter Korea directly through these smaller hubs. This shift highlights a growing preference among travelers to bypass the more congested and often more expensive international airports in Seoul's metropolitan area.",
  "summary": "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…",
  "key_points": [
    "Foreign arrivals at Korean regional airports increase 37.4 percent YoY",
    "Cheongju Airport experiences highest growth at 59.5 percent",
    "Shift in foreign tourists bypassing Seoul's Incheon and Gimpo"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The shift toward regional entry points signals a growing traveler preference for smaller hubs to avoid the congestion and higher costs associated with the major international airports in Seoul.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}