The number of South Korea's overseas tourists topped 7 million in the first half for the first time, official data showed Sunday.

The Korea Tourism Organization said a record 7.23 million South Korean residents traveled overseas in the January-June period, up 9.6 percent from 6.59 million a year earlier.

The state-run organization explained that a growing leisure boom among locals has contributed to the rapid increase in overseas departures.

Notably, the number of South Korean visitors to Japan jumped 37.4 percent in the first four months, due largely to the weakening yen, the organization said.

By year, the number of South Korean overseas travelers topped the landmark 5 million in 2006, rising to 6.47 million in 2007 and 6.57 million in 2008.

In 2009, the figure plunged to 4.47 million following the outbreak of the global financial crisis and the spread of influenza A. But the number of overseas travelers has since steadily increased to 5.93 million in 2010 and 6.16 million in 2011, the organization noted.

In the first half, the number of foreign visitors to South Korea edged up 3.6 percent to 5.53 million, it added. (Yonhap News)