An airplane flies over Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Jan. 9 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s airports handled a record number of passengers in 2025, as a surge in overseas travel more than offset a decline in domestic flights, underscoring the continued strength of outbound demand in a post-pandemic travel market.
According to data released Friday by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, a total of 124.8 million passengers passed through South Korean airports last year, a 3.9 percent increase from 2024 and the highest annual total on record. The figure surpassed the previous peak of 123.4 million set in 2019, before the global travel downturn triggered by the coronavirus pandemic.
The growth was driven primarily by international travel, with the number of passengers flying to and from South Korea rising 6.3 percent to about 94.5 million. Domestic air travel moved in the opposite direction, falling 2.8 percent to 30.2 million, reflecting shifting consumer preferences and the growing appeal of overseas destinations.
Travel to nearby Asian countries accounted for much of the increase. Passenger traffic between South Korea and Japan rose 8.6 percent to more than 27.3 million, buoyed in part by the weak yen, which has made travel to Japan more affordable for Korean tourists. Flights between South Korea and China jumped 22 percent to 16.8 million, supported by reciprocal visa-waiver programs introduced by the two countries.
By contrast, air traffic to other Asian destinations slipped slightly, declining 0.5 percent to 34.8 million.
Long-haul travel also continued to recover. Passenger numbers on routes between South Korea and the United States climbed 4.7 percent to 6.8 million, while travel to and from Europe increased 5.5 percent to 4.9 million, signaling a broader normalization of international travel patterns.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
