The Korea National Tourism Organization projects a record number of foreign travelers will visit South Korea by the end of this year, eclipsing the current high of five-point-three million in 2002.

The state-run tourism agency said Tuesday that as of July this year, three-point-two million foreigners had visited Seoul, up more than 30 percent over the same period last year.

The agency attributed the drastic increase to the sweeping popularity of Korean pop culture in Asia, which has brought in droves of fans from China, Japan and Southeast Asian nations.

Some two thousand visitors came to Seoul for the 'Buzz Asia Concert' last month, while a thousand fans recently flocked to a publicity event of the popular singing group, Shinhwa.