With the beginning of the extra-long weekend today, thousands of Korean citizens packed up to spend the holiday abroad.
But Korea's main airport was busy not only because of people leaving, but also by people arriving, especially from China and Japan. Those countries are also celebrating respective holidays, so thousands started to head to airports to spend the next couple of days abroad, with Korea being a much sought after destination.
In other words, Korea is now expecting to welcome some 180 thousand visitors this weekend, with the first group of 4,000 people arriving today.
Kim Mok-yeon has more.

A total of 180 thousand foreign tourists are slated to visit Korea during a four-day weekend that kicked off on Thursday.
China and Japan are also celebrating their respective holidays this weekend, namely Labor Day holiday and Golden Week, and a vast number of tourists are expected to arrive in Korea in the next couple of days,... and the first group of visitors arrived on Thursday.
Four thousand executives and members of the Chinese firm Joymain Science and Technology arrived today for a 5 day trip, while four thousand others are scheduled to arrive on Monday.
The tour group visited the Dongdaemun Shopping Complex in central Seoul and toured around Korea's largest shopping districts on their first day.

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"I am so happy to be here in Korea. I love Seoul "

On Friday, the group will visit the country's largest theme park Everland south of the capital and indulge in traditional ginseng chicken soup, or Samgyetang for dinner on the banks of the Hangang River.
After dinner, artists who participated in the soundtracks of Korea's hit TV series "Descendants of the Sun" will hold a special concert for the team.

The massive influx of visitors is expected not only to promote Korean culture, but also to bring huge economic benefits to the country.


"The visit of Chinese tourists from Joymain company is expected to bring forth almost 50 billion won in economic effects