Network Analysis of South Korea’s Inter-Regional Mobility Before and After COVID-19

The purpose of this study is to analyze the characteristics of the interregional mobility network in South Korea before and after COVID-19. South Korea has been experiencing a decline in population not only in the overall population, but also by region, which has become a major social problem. Under these circumstances, interregional travel can contribute to revitalizing local economies, and local governments are exploring various policies to increase the number of visitors. This study uses social, economic, tourism infrastructure, and public relations variables as factors that can explain interregional travel networks in South Korea, and utilizes social network analysis methods. In addition, to consider the COVID-19 pandemic as a variable that has had a significant impact on interregional travel networks in recent years, the study compares the pre- and post-COVID-19 periods in 2019 and 2021. We find that the use of social media before and after the COVID-19 outbreak is very useful in explaining interregional travel networks in South Korea. In particular, we find that social media is more useful than traditional tourism infrastructure in explaining intraregional visitor flows. While it is important for local governments to expand traditional tourism infrastructure, they need to better utilize social media as a medium to communicate this effectively.