It's not just K-pop: why Australians are flocking to South Korea right now

South Korea is a hot travel destination right now, and it's not just because of the wildly popular animated film, KPop Demon Hunters.

Visitors from Australia to South Korea rose 11 per cent in the year to August 2025, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Meanwhile, data from Korea Tourism Organization shows Australian visits to Korea jumped 41 per cent in 2024 compared with pre-pandemic levels in 2019.

Stationery designer Sam Colling, 30, took a trip to Seoul, South Korea with her partner Brandon Price this year.

The Sydney couple explored the city's design, cafe and beauty scene and fell in love with Korea's creative energy.

"It was amazing. We'd absolutely go back in a heartbeat," Ms Colling told Explore, adding she and her partner loved the "versatile city" so much they could live there.

She said the people were super friendly - "such a nice culture" - and the food was to die for.

Some of her favourite dishes included tteokbokki or spicy rice cakes, chimaek which is a pairing of fried chicken and beer, Korean pancake and surprisingly, the local 7-Elevens because "convenience store food is a big thing for affordable on-the-go" meals.

"The Korean fried chicken is just so accessible, so many different types, which was really cool," she said.

Ms Colling was wowed by the country's "edgy" coffee culture and the passion behind their business ventures. She described going to a doughnut store as a "whole activation" where you received special branded fans to cool yourself off while waiting in line.

"They just don't do anything half-arsed, you know, there's so much in it," she said.

Travel insurer PassportCard Australia had a 47 per cent jump in travel insurance sales to Korea during the six months from October 2024 to March 2025, compared to the previous six months. There was also a hike in September which had double the number of insurance policy sales compared with any other month previously.

PassportCard chief underwriting officer, Michael Storozhev, said Korea was "really having a moment".

"While Japan, Vietnam and Thailand have historically been popular, we have not seen the same growth there - and in fact, we saw a 30 per cent decline in the number of travellers to Japan, and growth in Vietnam and Thailand was less than 20 per cent over the same time period," he told Explore.

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South Korean culture has spawned the K-pop (music), K-beauty (cosmetics) and K-drama (visiting the filming locations of TV series and films) subcultures.

But according to PassportCard Australia CEO, Peter Klemt, the "Korean Wave" is no longer just a trend or online sensation - it's a tourism driver.

"Australians aren't just watching Korean culture anymore, they're booking flights to experience it firsthand, and that's reflected clearly in our travel insurance sales and the amount they are putting away and willing to spend on Korean experiences and goods," he said.

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Korea Tourism Organization Sydney office director, Hyeongjoon Kim, said Korean food was a big drawcard for Aussies.

"Korean BBQ is always a crowd favourite, however, we know that Aussies are also exploring beyond that, trying street food like tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) or hotteok (honey-filled pancake), as well as visiting iconic food spots they've seen online," Mr Kim said.