Overseas card spending includes purchases made with debit and direct payment cards, in addition to credit cards.

The on-quarter drop came despite a rise in the number of people going overseas.

In the first three months of the year, some 5.56 million Koreans went abroad, up 8.1 percent from three months earlier.

However, the average amount spent with each card plunged 9.2 percent on-quarter to $295, the BOK said.

"The number of people going overseas rose due to the winter break and the long lunar new year's holiday this year, but card spending dwindled as the depreciation of the Korean won against the U.S. dollar pulled down demands for goods in other countries," it said in a press release.

In the three months ended March 31, the Korean won traded at 1,200.9 won against the U.S. greenback on average, down from 1,157.1 won in the previous quarter, it added.

Meanwhile, card spending by foreign visitors in Korea also dropped sharply with each visitor apparently spending less.

The amount of card spending by non-residents in the country came to $2.52 billion in the first quarter, down 8.5 percent from the previous quarter, according to the central bank.

The number of foreign issued cards used here jumped 15.6 percent on-quarter to some 11.93 million, but the average amount spent on each card plunged 20.8 percent to $212. (Yonhap)