Visitors dressed in traditional Korean attire walk in front of the Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul on Sunday. JADE GAO/AFP

　　South Korea's annual foreign arrivals surpassed 10 million by the third week of June, reaching the milestone at a record pace, with China retaining its position as the country's largest source of inbound tourists.

　　The figure was achieved about a month earlier than last year, when foreign arrivals exceeded 10 million in mid-July, according to preliminary data released by South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Wednesday.

　　The country's inbound tourism sector continued to show strong momentum, with 1.95 million foreign visitors recorded in May, up 19.4 percent from a year earlier. During the first five months of the year, total foreign arrivals reached 8.72 million, an increase of 21 percent year-on-year.

　　China remained the largest source market, with 560,000 visitors from the Chinese mainland in May. Arrivals from Taiwan and Hong Kong totaled 190,000 and 60,000, respectively.

　　Japan ranked second with 360,000 visitors, while long-haul travelers from Europe and the Americas also numbered about 360,000.

　　"Despite the increase in fuel surcharges stemming from the Middle East situation, the total number of foreign tourists visiting South Korea through May rose 21 percent year-on-year and surpassed 10 million by mid-June, showing a solid growth momentum in inbound tourism," said Kang Jung-won, head of the ministry's tourism policy office.

　　According to ministry data, foreign tourists' domestic card spending in May was estimated at 2.1 trillion won ($1.35 billion), up 67.1 percent year-on-year and exceeding the 2 trillion won mark for the first month since records began in January 2018.