South Korea Posts Record 2.06M Foreign Visitors in March — Partly Attributed to BTS Comeback

South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on April 16, 2026 that the country recorded 2.06 million foreign visitors in March 2026 — a record high for the month. Multiple industry analysts and media outlets attributed part of the surge to BTS's 'ARIRANG' album release (March 20) and the associated global media attention on Seoul, with tourism officials noting the 'BTS effect' on inbound travel from North America, Southeast Asia, and Europe ahead of the Arirang World Tour launch.