Border tensions cost South Korean frontier counties $22 mil. in tourism, damage

South Korea’s border counties saw tourism spending drop by more than 30 billion won in 2024 and 2025 as inter-Korean tensions rose over North Korea’s trash balloons and loudspeaker broadcasts. Gyeonggi Province reported 24 damage incidents worth 414.42 million won across 10 cities and counties from May 28, 2024, to Nov. 28, 2025. Gangwon’s five border counties also saw visitor numbers and spending fall, with some recovery after the broadcasts stopped.

Gyeonggi Province reported 24 incidents of damage worth 414.42 million won across 10 cities and counties from North Korea’s waste balloon launches between May 28, 2024, and Nov. 28, 2025.

Combined tourism spending in Gangwon Province’s five border counties fell from 444.45 billion won in 2023 to 414.15 billion won in 2024.

Tourism spending in those five counties in 2025 rose slightly to 416.98 billion won, but remained about 27.5 billion won below the 2023 level.

Visitor numbers in the five border counties fell from about 37.36 million in 2023 to about 35.47 million in 2024.

Woo Won-shik said the figures showed visitor numbers and commercial sales began to recover after the two Koreas stopped their loudspeaker broadcasts.

Published Oct 2, 2026 12:35 pm KST

Loudspeakers, NK trash balloons hurt economies

Blasting work believed to be related to the construction of a tactical road and fence observed in Kaepung County, in North Korea’s North Hwanghae Province, seen from the Aegibong Observatory in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, Oct. 1. Yonhap

South Korea's border regions saw tourism spending fall by more than 30 billion won ($22 million) and reported hundreds of millions of won in direct damage during 2024 and 2025, when North Korea's trash-filled balloon launches and tit-for-tat loudspeaker broadcasts under the former Yoon Suk Yeol administration escalated inter-Korean tensions.

According to the data submitted by Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces to the office of Woo Won-shik of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) on Friday, Gyeonggi Province reported a total of 24 incidents of damage worth 414.42 million won across 10 cities and counties as a result of North Korea’s waste balloon launches between May 28, 2024, and November 28, 2025.

Border regions also experienced a sharp decline in tourism spending during the same period.

Data from the Korea Tourism Data Lab showed that combined tourism spending in the five border counties in Gangwon Province — Cheorwon, Hwacheon, Yanggu, Inje and Goseong — fell from 444.45 billion won in 2023 to 414.15 billion won in 2024, marking a decrease of more than 30 billion won. Though tourism spending in 2025 slightly rebounded to 416.98 billion won, it was still approximately 27.5 billion won lower than in 2023, before tensions between the two Koreas began to escalate in earnest.

The number of visitors followed a similar trend. Total visitors to the five border counties in Gangwon Province fell from approximately 37.36 million in 2023 to about 35.47 million in 2024, a decrease of roughly 1.89 million.

Woo said the figures also showed signs of recovery after loudspeaker broadcasts across the inter-Korean border were halted.

“The figures show that visitor numbers and sales in commercial districts in border areas began to recover after the two Koreas stopped their loudspeaker broadcasts,” Woo said in a statement. “This shows why it is important to consistently pursue a North Korea policy aimed at easing tensions.”

While the figures do not establish that military tensions alone caused the decline in tourism, they highlight the economic vulnerability of communities near the inter-Korean border when security concerns intensify.

Those concerns have resurfaced following a Sept. 21 land mine explosion inside the Demilitarized Zone that injured three South Korean soldiers. South Korea’s military blamed North Korea for the blast, while Pyongyang denied responsibility and accused Seoul of fabricating the findings, raising fears that renewed tensions could again weigh on tourism and local businesses in border areas.

由于朝鲜投放垃圾气球和使用扩音器广播导致朝韩关系紧张，韩国边境地区的旅游支出在2024年和2025年下降了超过300亿韩元。京畿道报告称，从2024年5月28日至2025年11月28日，10个市县共发生24起损失事件，总损失达4.1442亿韩元。江原道的五个边境县的游客数量和消费额也出现下降，在广播停止后有所回升。

2024 年 5 月 28 日至 2025 年 11 月 28 日期间，朝鲜在京畿道的 10 个市、郡发射废弃气球，造成 24 起损失事件，损失金额达 4.1442 亿韩元。

江原道五个边境郡的旅游消费总额从 2023 年的 4444.5 亿韩元下降到 2024 年的 4141.5 亿韩元。

2025年这五个县的旅游支出略微上升至4169.8亿韩元，但仍比2023年的水平低约275亿韩元。

2023 年，边境五县的游客数量约为 3736 万人次；2024 年，边境五县的游客数量约为 3547 万人次。

禹元植表示，数据显示，在韩朝停止广播后，游客数量和商业销售额开始回升。

发布于2026年10月2日下午12:35（韩国标准时间）

扬声器和朝鲜垃圾气球损害经济

10月1日，从京畿道金浦市爱吉峰展望台拍摄到，在朝鲜黄海北道开丰郡附近，疑似与修建战术道路和围栏有关的爆破作业。（韩联社）

2024 年和 2025 年，朝鲜在前尹锡烈政府时期放飞装满垃圾的气球，并进行针锋相对的扩音器广播，导致朝韩紧张局势升级，韩国边境地区的旅游支出减少了 300 亿韩元（2200 万美元），并报告了数亿韩元的直接损失。

根据京畿道和江原道周五向执政党共同民主党（DPK）禹元植办公室提交的数据，京畿道报告称，在2024年5月28日至2025年11月28日期间，朝鲜发射废弃气球导致10个市郡共发生24起损失事件，损失金额达4.1442亿韩元。

同期，边境地区的旅游支出也大幅下降。

韩国旅游数据实验室的数据显示，江原道五个边境郡——铁原郡、华川郡、杨口郡、麟蹄郡和高城郡——的旅游消费总额从2023年的4444.5亿韩元下降至2024年的4141.5亿韩元，减少了300多亿韩元。尽管2025年的旅游消费略有回升至4169.8亿韩元，但仍比2023年（即朝韩关系真正开始紧张之前）的水平低约275亿韩元。

游客数量也呈现类似的趋势。2023年到访江原道五个边境郡的游客总数约为3736万人次，2024年约为3547万人次，减少了约189万人次。

Woo表示，这些数据也显示出在停止朝韩边境扩音广播后出现复苏迹象。

“数据显示，朝韩停止广播后，边境地区商业区的游客数量和销售额开始回升，”禹在一份声明中表示。“这表明，持续推行旨在缓和紧张局势的对朝政策至关重要。”

虽然这些数据并不能证明军事紧张局势是导致旅游业下滑的唯一原因，但它们凸显了当安全问题加剧时，朝韩边境附近社区的经济脆弱性。

9月21日，非军事区内发生地雷爆炸，造成三名韩国士兵受伤，此后，这些担忧再次浮现。韩国军方指责朝鲜制造了爆炸，而平壤否认对此负责，并指责首尔捏造调查结果。这引发了人们的担忧，即紧张局势再度升级，可能会再次对边境地区的旅游业和当地商业造成影响。