NEW RECORD ON FOREIGNERS VISITING KOREA

[Anchor Lead]

China's ban on Korean cultural imports and chilly Korea-Japan relations have brought concerns for Korea's tourism industry. But after expanding visas for individual tourists from China and diversifying markets, Korea saw a record number of foreign tourists visiting the country this year.

[Pkg]

[Soundbite] "The 17.25 millionth foreign tourist is entering the country. Please give a warm round of applause."

The 17.25 millionth foreign tourist to Korea was Eko Prasetio visiting from Indonesia with his family. This is his first time in Korea. Eko's family plans to stay here for eight days.

[Soundbite] EKO PRASETIO(INDONESIAN TOURIST) : "Since I'm very interested in Korean history, I plan to see all five palaces in Seoul. My children will go to places associated with K-pop because they're K-pop fans. And I really want to eat Korean beef ribs."

His daughter in high school started gushing about her favorite subject, K-pop.

[Soundbite] EKO PRASETIO'S DAUGHTER(INDONESIAN TOURIST) : "I can't explain why I love Korea. I think K-pop stars' performances and dances are very attractive."

The number of foreign tourists to Korea reached a record high by exceeding 17.25 million yesterday. That total is expected to top 17.5 million by the end of the year. The key contributing factor is the steady popularity of hallyu or K-pop culture which helped Korea overcome many undermining factors. Korean dramas and variety shows, cosmetics and food also played a part by captivating people around the globe.

[Soundbite] AMERICAN TOURIST

Seoul tried to become less depended on China and Japan, where half of all foreign tourists used to be from, and attract visitors from other countries. While Korea saw an increasing number of tourists from various regions, including the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Europe, it's worth noting that American tourists are expected to top one million this year for the first time in history.

[Soundbite] KIM MAN-JIN(KOREA TOURISM ORGANIZATION) : "Thanks to hallyu or the Korean Wave, the entire North American market has growing interest and better understanding of Korea."

Capitalizing on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Korea may even get to welcome two million visitors from across the world next year.