Inbound travelers to S . Korea drop 22 . 7 pct in 2017 due to THAAD row SEOUL , Jan . 22 ( Yonhap ) -- The number of foreign tourists to South Korea slipped last year in the wake of a diplomatic row between Seoul and Beijing over the deployment of a U . S . anti - missile system , government data showed Monday . A total of 13 . 3 million foreigners visited South Korea in 2017 , down 22 . 7 percent from a year earlier , according to the Korea Tourism Organization ( KTO ) . The drop has been widely expected , as Beijing has banned its travel agencies from selling Korea - bound trips since mid - March , in apparent retaliation over Seoul ' s deployment of the U . S . Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system . The number of Chinese nationals who visited South Korea last year stood at 4 . 16 million , down 48 . 3 percent from 8 million tallied the previous year , the data showed . Chinese accounted for nearly half of the 17 million foreigners who visited South Korea in 2016 . After months of dispute , the two countries agreed in October to normalize their bilateral relations . In contrast , more South Koreans traveled abroad , taking advantage of cheaper airfares offered by low - cost carriers . The number of outbound travelers rose 18 . 4 percent to 26 . 5 million in 2017 , according to the data . Tourists at Gyeongbok Palace , the main royal palace of the Joseon Dynasty , in downtown Seoul , on Jan . 6 , 2018 . ( Yonhap ) scaaet @ yna . co . kr ( END )