SEOUL, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- South Koreans' overseas plastic card spending hit a record high in 2025, driven by solid demand for overseas travel and online direct purchases from abroad, central bank data showed Wednesday.
Using credit, debit and prepaid cards, local residents spent 22.91 billion U.S. dollars overseas in 2025, up 5.5 percent compared to the previous high of 21.72 billion dollars in 2024, according to the Bank of Korea.
The record-breaking spending came as a result of higher demand for outbound travel and direct overseas purchases in cyberspace.
The online direct purchase of foreign products reached 5.98 billion dollars in 2025, up 1.0 percent from a year ago.
The number of outbound travelers expanded 3.0 percent to 29.55 million last year.
Overseas spending per plastic card increased 3.5 percent to 310 dollars in the cited year.
The number of plastic cards used overseas was 73.83 million in 2025, up 1.9 percent from a year earlier. ■
