S. Korea aims to lure 8.5 mln foreign tourists this year

SEOUL, Jan. 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korea aims to attract 8.5 million foreign
tourists this year by luring more visitors from China and Japan, the government
said Saturday.

The target is higher than the 7.8 million goal the nation set the previous year.
Last year, around 7 million foreign tourists visited South Korea, according to
the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Corp.
They set the higher target for this year as the government earlier designated the
next three years as "Visit Korea" years, intended to lure more foreign tourists
as part of efforts to bolster the service industry.
The ministry and the state-run tourism agency aim to attract more than 10 million
foreign visitors in 2012.
kokobj@yna.co.kr
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