Passengers bound for Japan on June 21 wait in line to prepare for departure at Gimpo International Airport in Seoul's Gangseo-gu District. (Yonhap News)

By Yoo Yeon Gyeong

The number of air passengers who traveled between Korea and Japan this year from January to October broke the 20 million mark for the first time.

This was thanks to more Korean tourists visiting small towns in Japan as well as major cities thanks to the weaker JPY, a trend that began last year, and the popularity of Korean beauty products and food among Japanese travelers, according to a government report.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in Seoul on Nov. 18 released aviation data saying 20,566,186 passengers (both arrivals and departures) in the year's first 10 months flew between the two countries.

The figure was a record high for the period and up 32.9% from 15,473,315 year on year.

The popularity of Japanese routes is expected to last for a while as domestic carriers since the end of last month have added the number of flights going there, reflecting rising demand for winter travel.

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