Rush of Travel to Japan Even on Gwangbokjeol... Go So-young Boasts on SNS, Faces Backlash

29% of Japanese Travelers in the First Half of the Year Are Koreans
89% Boarding Rate from Korea to Japan from 1st to 15th
Go So-young "Sorry for the Inconvenience on Important Days"

As if the 'No Japan' craze never happened, the number of Koreans traveling to Japan is increasing, and it has been revealed that a considerable number of Koreans visited Japan during this year's Gwangbokjeol holiday. The main factors cited are the exchange rate advantage due to the weak yen and the physically close distance.

According to statistics from the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) on the 16th, the total number of tourists visiting Japan in the first half of this year was 10.72 million. Among them, Koreans were the largest group with 3.12 million, accounting for 29.2% of the total.

August with Gwangbokjeol also 'Yes Japan'... 1 in 3 international passengers heads to Japan

It was also found that a significant number of Koreans traveled to Japan from the 1st to the 15th of this month. According to the airline T'way, the average load factor for domestic flights to Japan from the 1st to the 15th was 89%. By route, Daegu-Osaka was 93%, Busan-Osaka 92%, and Incheon-Sapporo 92%, all exceeding 90%.

On the 78th Liberation Day on the 15th, actress Go So-young faced backlash from netizens after revealing photos of her trip to Japan with her family. After continuous criticism, Go So-young deleted the post.
[Photo by Go So-young SNS]

There is another statistic indicating the preference for traveling to Japan. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's aviation portal system, the number of international passengers from January to May this year was 23,950,316. Among them, passengers to Japan numbered 6,945,507, the highest. One in three international passengers chose to go to Japan.

It appears that the national aversion to traveling to Japan has also softened. Regarding traveling to Japan during the Gwangbokjeol holiday, 3 out of 10 people think it is 'an individual's freedom to go wherever and whenever.'

A survey conducted by the polling company PMI on the 10th, targeting 3,000 men and women nationwide under the age of 60, on 'Generational perceptions of liberation,' found that 29.5% of all respondents answered that traveling to Japan during the Gwangbokjeol holiday is 'an individual's freedom.' Among them, the proportion of young people aged 30 and under was 61.7%.

According to this survey, the proportion of respondents who answered that they 'know very well' about the meaning of Gwangbokjeol, what is done on Gwangbokjeol, the year and date of liberation, etc., was highest among the pre-baby boom generation at 51.4%.

The 'know very well' responses decreased with younger generations: Generation X at 32.3%, Millennials at 26.4%, and Generation Z at 21.9%. Among 750 Generation Z respondents, 11.2% answered 'do not know at all,' and 15.6% answered 'do not know well.'

Actress Go So-young criticized for boasting about Japan trip during Gwangbokjeol

However, there was also a case where posting photos of a Japan trip during Gwangbokjeol on social media led to public backlash.

Actress Go So-young posted photos of her trip to Japan with her family on her SNS on the 15th and received harsh criticism from some netizens. She eventually deleted the post.

On the 16th, Go So-young posted an apology on SNS saying, "I am sorry for causing discomfort on an important day. I deleted the post immediately after realizing it, but it was too late. I will be more careful in the future." Meanwhile, some argued that "the standards are too harsh only for celebrities."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.