{"schema":"hottub-news/story/v1","story":"st_pgr2llemdrlrezzbdqqq","title":"Eased visas, K-culture buzz drive record tourism boom in Korea","title_en":null,"outlets":1,"brief":null,"page":"https://hottub.news/stories/eased-visas-k-culture-buzz-drive-record-tourism-boom-in-korea-pgr2llemdr","count":1,"items":[{"id":"n_pgr2llemdrlrezzbdqqq","seq":327872,"kind":"article","title":"Eased visas, K-culture buzz drive record tourism boom in Korea","url":"https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/lifestyle/travel-food/20260928/eased-visas-k-culture-buzz-drive-record-tourism-boom-in-korea","summary":"Tourism in Korea has shattered historical records, driven by a surge in international visitors taking advantage of relaxed visa policies and a global obsession with Korean pop culture. According to data released Monday by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Korea welcomed 15.05 million foreign visitors through August 2026 — a 21.6 percent jump from the same period last year. The benchmark was crossed well ahead of last year’s pace, when the country hit 15 million in…","published":"2026-09-28T02:32:04Z","seen":"2026-09-28T02:36:29Z","lang":"en","source":{"id":"kite-koreatimes-co-kr-c6eccf","name":"koreatimes.co.kr","domain":"feed.koreatimes.co.kr"},"via":"kite-koreatimes-co-kr-c6eccf","topics":["asia"],"authors":["author"],"entities":[{"id":"Q18097","name":"Korea","type":"place"}],"image":"https://newsimg.koreatimes.co.kr/2026/09/28/1b979910-fb23-44ee-9507-4b125461e7f4.jpeg","mentions":2,"story":"st_pgr2llemdrlrezzbdqqq","category":"economy-business","category_p":0.4399999976158142,"category2":"arts-culture-entertainment","sentiment":"positive","tone":0.7799999713897705,"political":0.07999999821186066}]}