The number of foreign tourists to South Korea rose sharply in August from a year earlier. 

The Korea Tourism Organization(KT) said on Friday that over one-point-39 million foreigners visited South Korea for tourism purposes last month, up by 26-point-one percent from the same month last year. 

By nationality, the number of tourists from China jumped 40-point-nine percent in a year-long span, due in part to the base effect following sharp decline last year amid diplomatic conflicts over the deployment of U.S. THAAD antimissile system in South Korea. 

Encouraged by long holidays and major K-pop events in South Korea, including BTS concerts, nearly 39 percent more Japanese visited the country last month from a year earlier.  

The number of Asian tourists, excluding Chinese and Japanese, marked an on-year growth of 15-point-one percent, including a 22-point-eight percent increase from Taiwan driven partly by the launch of Star Cruises passenger ship service linking the two countries.