K-pop, with its distinctive riffs and choreography, has become a major tourist draw and cultural export for South Korea, along with K-drama. But it’s not the only reason why South Korea has become a tourist magnet, drawing an all-time high 18.94 million international arrivals last year. In terms of foreign tourist arrivals, we’re eating the dust of our neighbors Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Concerns over personal security have significantly cut arrivals from what used to be our two biggest sources of leisure travelers – South Korea and China. And we can only look on in envy at them, at South Korea and much of the rest of Asia.
