SEOUL, May 23 (Xinhua) -- South Korean tourists reduced plastic card spending during overseas trips in the first quarter as short-term travel to neighboring countries increased, central bank data showed Thursday.
Local residents spent 4.68 billion U.S. dollars with plastic cards during the overseas trip in the January-March quarter, down 3.3 percent from the previous quarter, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).
The figure included overseas spending with credit, debit and check cards.
The number of South Korean overseas travelers increased 10.2 percent to 7.86 million in the cited period, but the plastic card spending reduced as more people traveled to neighboring countries in Asia for a short term.
The number of plastic cards used overseas rose 1.1 percent to 17.05 million in the period.
The spending per plastic card amounted to 274 U.S. dollars in the first quarter, down 4.4 percent from three months earlier.
