Overseas card spending nearly unchanged in Q1

SEOUL, June 5 (Yonhap) -- South Koreans' overseas card spending remained nearly unchanged in the first quarter from three months earlier as lower overseas direct purchases offset gains from an increase in outbound travelers, data showed Friday.

The amount of money spent overseas by South Koreans with credit and debit cards came to US$6.1 billion in the January-March period, down just 0.1 percent from $6.11 billion posted three months earlier, according to data from the Bank of Korea (BOK).

"In the first quarter, while more South Koreans traveled overseas, direct purchases from overseas declined, leading to levels similar to the previous quarter," a BOK official said.

The number of overseas travelers came to 8.33 million in the first three months of 2026, up 5.5 percent from the previous quarter.

The combined amount of purchases made through overseas shopping malls, on the other hand, fell 13.1 percent to $1.35 billion.

This file photo taken Feb. 27, 2026, shows Incheon International Airport in Incheon, west of Seoul. (Yonhap)