Last year, the number of foreign visitors to Seoul's four major palaces exceeded 4 million. Notably, Gyeongbokgung Palace attracted approximately 2.78 million foreign tourists, solidifying its status as a premier Korean tourist destination.
According to data received by Jin Sun-mi, a member of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Cultural Heritage Administration, Gyeongbokgung recorded a total of 6,886,650 visitors in 2025, marking a 6.88% increase from 6,443,600 in 2024.
The rise in foreign visitors was even more pronounced. Gyeongbokgung welcomed 2,783,998 foreign tourists last year, a 37.34% increase from 2,027,087 the previous year. Domestic visitors also rose to 4,102,652, up 7.11% from the prior year.
Other palaces also saw increased attendance. Last year, Deoksugung Palace had 3,561,882 visitors, including 378,069 foreigners. Changdeokgung Palace recorded a total of 2,219,247 visitors, with 665,893 being foreign tourists, while Changgyeonggung Palace had 1,602,202 visitors, including 269,970 foreigners.
The number of foreign visitors to Seoul's four major palaces has steadily increased from 59,125 in 2021 to 501,296 in 2022, then to 1,919,188 in 2023, 3,065,856 in 2024, and 4,097,930 last year.
Visitor numbers are also rising at major cultural and tourist sites. According to the Ministry of Culture's '2025 Major Tourist Site Visitor Statistics,' top destinations include Gyeongbokgung and Deoksugung, as well as the National Museum of Korea, KINTEX, Suncheon Bay National Garden, and Kangwon Land Casino.
Jin stated, "The global K-Culture wave, including K-pop, is leading to increased interest in our traditional national heritage. It is essential to provide policy support and management efforts to help our national heritage and cultural infrastructure grow into world-class attractions."
According to data received by Jin Sun-mi, a member of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Cultural Heritage Administration, Gyeongbokgung recorded a total of 6,886,650 visitors in 2025, marking a 6.88% increase from 6,443,600 in 2024.
The rise in foreign visitors was even more pronounced. Gyeongbokgung welcomed 2,783,998 foreign tourists last year, a 37.34% increase from 2,027,087 the previous year. Domestic visitors also rose to 4,102,652, up 7.11% from the prior year.
Other palaces also saw increased attendance. Last year, Deoksugung Palace had 3,561,882 visitors, including 378,069 foreigners. Changdeokgung Palace recorded a total of 2,219,247 visitors, with 665,893 being foreign tourists, while Changgyeonggung Palace had 1,602,202 visitors, including 269,970 foreigners.
The number of foreign visitors to Seoul's four major palaces has steadily increased from 59,125 in 2021 to 501,296 in 2022, then to 1,919,188 in 2023, 3,065,856 in 2024, and 4,097,930 last year.
Visitor numbers are also rising at major cultural and tourist sites. According to the Ministry of Culture's '2025 Major Tourist Site Visitor Statistics,' top destinations include Gyeongbokgung and Deoksugung, as well as the National Museum of Korea, KINTEX, Suncheon Bay National Garden, and Kangwon Land Casino.
Jin stated, "The global K-Culture wave, including K-pop, is leading to increased interest in our traditional national heritage. It is essential to provide policy support and management efforts to help our national heritage and cultural infrastructure grow into world-class attractions."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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