Seoul:South Korea's tourism balance shifted back to a deficit in July, ending a four-month streak of surpluses, as revealed by industry data on Sunday. According to Yonhap News Agency, the tourism balance recorded a deficit of US$50.3 million in July, reversing the previous month's surplus of $596.6 million. This change was documented by the Korea Tourism Organization. Total spending by South Koreans traveling abroad reached $2.67 billion in July, surpassing the $2.62 billion spent by foreign visitors within the country. This marks a significant change after the tourism balance had been in deficit for 72 consecutive months beginning in March 2020, a period heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The balance returned to surplus in March of this year and maintained positive figures until the recent deficit in July. Industry analysts have suggested that the earlier improvements in the tourism balance were partly due to major K-pop events, particularly those featuring BTS, which attracted numerous foreign v isitors to South Korea. They emphasize the need for continued development of appealing cultural content to further boost foreign tourism.