Seoul: The number of air passengers traveling between South Korea and Japan exceeded 20 million in the January-October period this year, driven largely by the weak Japanese yen, as revealed by recent data. A total of 20.56 million passengers flew between the two countries during the first ten months of the year, marking a 33 percent increase from the 15.47 million passengers recorded during the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

According to Lao News Agency, this 10-month figure nearly matches the 21.35 million passengers recorded for the entire year of 2018, which remains the record for Korea-Japan routes. With an average of about 2 million passengers per month on the Seoul-Tokyo routes this year, the annual total is expected to surpass the previous record. In response to the growing demand, local airlines have increased the number of flights to Japan, especially during the peak winter season.

The surge in travel between the two countries can be partly a
ttributed to the depreciation of the yen against the Korean won, which has made Japan a more attractive destination for South Korean travelers. The yen dropped to 894.89 won on Friday, after briefly rising to 950 won in August.

Meanwhile, the number of passengers on routes between Korea and China also showed significant growth, reaching 11.56 million from January to October. This figure is substantially higher than the total of 6.84 million passengers for all of 2023. Industry experts anticipate further increases in travel on the Seoul-Beijing routes, following China’s introduction of a visa waiver program for South Korean passport holders from November 8 through the end of next year.