韩国股市近期遭遇严重冲击。7月28日至29日两天内，韩国综合股价指数跌幅超过16%，较6月高点回落近四成，股市市值蒸发约两万亿美元[1]。这场股灾直接影响了韩国民众的消费决策，在清迈旅居的韩国年轻人智允因此决定提前回国寻找工作机会，他表示"至少每个月要有钱进来"[1]。
股市下行带来的连锁反应已在旅游市场显现。截至7月18日，今年赴泰韩国游客约63万人，同比下降25.3%[1]。清迈的韩国社区人口随之减少，当地韩国餐饮等商业面临冲击。同期中国游客累计达到286.2万人次，重新成为泰国第一大入境客源[1]。
数据还反映出韩国赴泰旅游格局的变化——2025年前七个多月，超过16.5万名韩国游客乘坐直飞航班抵达清迈，同比增长超过20%[1]。
这场危机背后反映了韩国投资者的广泛性。截至2025年底，韩国股票投资者已超过1450万人，意味着每三个成年人中就有一个持有本国上市公司股票[1]，使得股市波动对整个社会的心理冲击尤为显著。
South Korea experienced a severe stock market downturn in late July that rippled across the region, affecting consumer confidence and travel patterns. On July 28-29 alone, the Korean Composite Stock Price Index plummeted more than 16 percent over two days, declining nearly 40 percent from its June peak, with the market shedding approximately two trillion dollars in value.[1] The market turbulence prompted individuals like Ji-yoon, a young South Korean living in Chiang Mai, to reconsider their circumstances abroad. Facing economic uncertainty, Ji-yoon decided to return to South Korea to seek employment, noting that "at least some money needs to come in every month."[1]
The stock crash's impact extended beyond individual financial portfolios to reshape tourism flows in Thailand. As of July 18, the number of South Korean tourists visiting Thailand had dropped to approximately 630,000 year-to-date, representing a 25.3 percent decline compared to the same period the previous year.[1] This downturn directly affected Chiang Mai's Korean community and businesses that depend on Korean clientele. However, the vacuum left by departing South Korean travelers is being filled by Chinese visitors, who have become Thailand's leading source of international arrivals, accumulating 2.862 million entries as of July 18.[1]
Meanwhile, South Korean tourist arrivals in Chiang Mai exceeded 165,000 during the first seven months of 2025, marking a more than 20 percent year-on-year increase.[1] The stock market crisis simultaneously underscores the scale of South Korean market participation, with over 14.5 million stock investors registered by the end of 2025, meaning roughly one in every three South Korean adults now holds shares in domestically listed companies.[1]
