Tourists take photos on the streets of Myeong-dong in Jung-gu, Seoul. [Yonhap]
Tourists take photos on the streets of Myeong-dong in Jung-gu, Seoul. [Yonhap]

The range of Seoul attractions drawing foreign visitors is broadening beyond downtown landmarks such as Myeong-dong and Gyeongbokgung to include K-culture filming locations, traditional markets and hiking destinations.

The Seoul AI Foundation on Sunday released an analysis of foreign foot-traffic data at 16 major Seoul attractions last year, finding that foreign visitor numbers grew between 9.2 and 12.1 percent across the sites.

According to statistics from the Seoul Tourism Foundation and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the number of foreign tourists visiting Seoul rose from about 8.85 million in 2023 to about 15 million last year.

The analysis covered sites including N Seoul Tower, Bukchon Hanok Village and Naksan Park — locations that served as backdrops for the animated series "KPop Demon Hunters" — as well as traditional markets (Namdaemun and Gwangjang) and four popular hiking mountains (Bukhansan, Gwanaksan, Bugaksan and Achasan). The foundation drew on SK Telecom foreign foot-traffic data and Google Maps review data.

By average daily foreign visitor count, the top five destinations were Myeong-dong (100,910), N Seoul Tower (57,370), Samseong Station-COEX (46,813), Gangnam Station (41,210) and the Hongdae area (40,213). The largest year-on-year increases were recorded at DDP (+12.1%), the Hongdae area (+10.5%), Naksan Park (+10.5%) and Gwangjang Market (+10.4%).

N Seoul Tower had the highest share of foreign visitors among all foot traffic at 55.7 percent, with Myeong-dong close behind at 47.1 percent — nearly half of all visitors. Namdaemun Market (28.0%), Samseong Station-COEX (26.4%) and DDP (19.6%) also posted relatively high foreign visitor ratios.

Visitor preferences varied clearly by nationality. Historical sites such as Gyeongbokgung and Bukchon Hanok Village drew notably high numbers of tourists from Southeast Asian countries including Vietnam, the Philippines and Singapore, while shopping destinations such as Myeong-dong, Namdaemun and Gwangjang Market saw higher proportions of Japanese and Chinese visitors.

An infographic analyzing foreign visitor patterns at major Seoul tourist attractions. [Provided by Seoul Metropolitan Government]
An infographic analyzing foreign visitor patterns at major Seoul tourist attractions. [Provided by Seoul Metropolitan Government]

Seoul's mountains are also drawing foreign tourists. An analysis of trail foot traffic at the city's four representative mountains found that Bukhansan drew the most foreign visitors at an average of 4,015 per day, followed by Bugaksan (2,169), Gwanaksan (1,192) and Achasan (729).

An analysis of Google Maps reviews written by foreign tourists between 2024 and 2025 found overall satisfaction with major Seoul attractions to be high. Gyeongbokgung topped the ratings with a score of 4.7 out of 5, while Seoul Forest received the highest positive sentiment ratio at 79.9 percent.

However, practical convenience — including foreign-language signage, wayfinding and amenities — requires continued improvement based on what tourists experience on the ground.

The full findings are available in a report titled "From KPop Demon Hunters to K-Hiking: A Data-Driven Look at Foreign Tourism in Seoul," accessible through the research reports section of the Seoul AI Foundation's website.

Kim Man-gi, chairman of the Seoul AI Foundation, said the analysis "is meaningful in that it uses data to examine where foreign tourists are going in Seoul and what they are experiencing," adding that the foundation would continue to develop research supporting Seoul's tourism policy and data-driven decision-making.


ikson@heraldcorp.com