The Bank of Korea reported on Wednesday that card spending by foreign nationals within South Korea surged to a historic high in the second quarter of this year, propelled by a rise in inbound tourism.

According to central bank data, credit and debit card transactions by non-residents from April to June totaled $4.86 billion, marking a 36.1% increase from the preceding quarter. This figure represents the highest quarterly amount since the Bank of Korea began compiling such statistics in 2012, surpassing the previous record of $3.79 billion set in the second quarter of 2025.