A comparison of foot traffic at Seongsu Station in 2015 (left) and 2025. [Herald DB]
A comparison of foot traffic at Seongsu Station in 2015 (left) and 2025. [Herald DB]

Seongsu Station on Seoul Metro Line 2 has emerged as a must-visit destination drawing visitors of all ages.

Seoul Metro announced Tuesday that Seongsu Station ranked first in ridership growth among both teen and general passengers in the first half of 2026, based on a year-on-year comparison of ridership by fare category — children, teens and general.

Teen ridership at Seongsu Station reached 349,203 in the first half of this year, up 99,069, or 39.6 percent, from the same period last year. General ridership climbed to 8,902,747, an increase of 1,459,282 passengers, or 19.6 percent, making Seongsu the top-gaining station in both categories across the entire network.

Children's ridership also surged, rising from 36,150 in the first half of last year to 62,707 this year — a jump of 26,557, or 73.5 percent. Seongsu was the only station to rank in the top five for ridership growth across all three fare categories, signaling that its appeal has expanded well beyond any single age group.

Data tracking foreign ridership told a similar story. Foreign passengers who purchased single-journey tickets using English-, Chinese- or Japanese-language ticket machines numbered 84,373 at Seongsu in the first half of this year, up 22,726, or 36.9 percent, from 61,647 in the same period last year.

Foreign ridership also grew steadily at several other stations. Gimpo Airport Station recorded 33,946 foreign passengers in the first half of this year, up 6,466, or 23.5 percent, from 27,480 the previous year. Konkuk University Station saw 8,031 foreign riders, an increase of 1,340, or 20.0 percent, while Gongdeok Station recorded 10,896, up 1,441, or 15.2 percent.

Ichon Station posted the largest increase in children's ridership, with 86,183 young passengers in the first half of this year — up 28,901, or 50.5 percent, from the previous year. Seoul Metro attributed the surge to the station's proximity to family-friendly facilities such as the National Museum of Korea, saying the trend reflects growing family travel demand in subway usage.

The jump in teen ridership at Dongmyo Station, known as a destination for vintage treasure-hunting, also stood out. Teen passengers there rose 66.8 percent — up 24,735 to 61,748 — compared with 37,013 in the first half of last year.

Hongik University Station, Nambuseo Terminal Station and Myeong-dong Station rounded out the top five for teen ridership growth, adding 37,541, 26,510 and 23,082 passengers, respectively, compared with the previous year.

"Subway ridership data is a vital indicator of where citizens work, study and spend their leisure time," said Ma Hae-geun, head of Seoul Metro's operations division. "We will closely monitor ridership trends by age group and area to build a more convenient subway service that meets evolving travel needs."


ikson@heraldcorp.com