S. Korea's tourism balance hits record surplus since pandemic: data

South Korea's tourism balance hit a record surplus since the COVID-19 pandemic period, thanks to the popularity of the country's pop culture, industry data showed Sunday. The country's travel account was in the black by $596.6 million in June, marking a dramatic turnaround from the same month a year earlier when the deficit stood at $846.8 million, according to the data from the Korea Tourism Organization. The June figure is the second highest since October 2008, when the country recorded a surp