The Korea Tourism Organization(KTO) has released data showing a 20 percent jump in the number of foreign tourists to South Korea in May compared to the same month last year.

More than one-point-48 million foreigners visited Korea last month with Chinese tourists accounting for the largest group at over 500-thousand.

The Japanese followed at over 286-thousand, trailed by Taiwanese and Americans.

In terms of year-on-year growth, the number of visitors from China was up 35 percent. Japan was up 26 percent, Taiwan increased over 15 and the U.S. rose 13-point-three percent.

The Korea Tourism Organization explained that tourists from China increased due to the Labor Day holiday and continued recovery in Korean tourism by the Chinese people.

Meanwhile, many Japanese tourists who came to Korea last month were in their 20s, apparently drawn by the Korean Wave phenomenon such as K-pop and Korean cuisine.

Tourists from the Middle East and other parts of Asia grew nine-point-five percent over the cited period, which the KTO attributed to a number of factors, including added flights, promotional marketing and the Korean Wave.

Last month, two-point-four million South Koreans traveled overseas, up three percent on-year.