Seoul, Jun 29 (IANS): The number of foreign visitors to South Korea soared almost five times last month from a year earlier, partly due to a sharp increase in travelers from Japan, data showed on Thursday.

In May, around 867,000 foreign nationals traveled here, up 399 per cent on-year, according to the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO).

By country, Japan was the No. 1 nation for the sixth consecutive month, followed by China and the US, reports Yonhap News Agency.

A total of 184,000 travelers visited South Korea from Japan, up 4,863 per cent from a year ago, 128,000 came from China, up 1,039 per cent, and 102,000 came from the .S, up 140 per cent.

The number of travelers from Hong Kong and Taiwan also increased 9,222 per cent and 8,380 per cent on-year to 29,000 and 67,000, respectively.

"Overseas trips have become more expensive for Japanese travelers due to a weak yen and a rise in airfare... Neighbouring South Korea emerged as an attractive travel spot compared with the originally preferred areas, including the US and Europe," a KTO official said.

Meanwhile, 1.68 million South Koreans traveled abroad last month, up 433 per cent on-year.