SEOUL, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- Overseas plastic card spending by South Korean people hit a record yearly high last year on the rising number of South Koreans traveling abroad, central bank data showed Wednesday.
South Koreans spent a total of 17.11 billion U.S. dollars overseas with credit, debit and check cards in 2017, up 19.7 percent from the previous year, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).
It topped the previous record high of 14.3 billion dollars tallied in 2016. The record-breaking credit card spending overseas was attributed to the rising number of South Koreans going on a trip abroad.
According to the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute, the number of South Koreans who went abroad jumped 18.4 percent over the year to 26.5 million in 2017.
South Korean people preferred the payment on credit cards than cash for the convenient usage. The amount paid per card was 312 dollars in 2017, up 2.3 percent from the previous year.
Foreign tourists to South Korea spent 8.52 billion U.S. dollars with credit, debit and check cards in 2017, down 20.4 percent from a year earlier.
The reduction came as the number of Chinese travelers to South Korea tumbled 48.3 percent last year.
