Foreign tourists boost visits to Seoul's historic royal palaces

Foreign visitors look around Jongmyo Shrine in Seoul on July 16, 2026. AJP Han Jun-gu

SEOUL, July 16 (AJP) - A surge in foreign visitors helped offset a slight decline in domestic visitors to South Korea's royal heritage sites in the first half of the year, pushing overall admissions up 6.6 percent from a year earlier, according to data released by the Korea Heritage Service on Thursday.

A combined 7.41 million people visited the capital's royal palaces including Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung, Deoksugung and Gyeongbokgung, as well as the Jongmyo Shrine between January and June.

The increase was mainly driven by foreign visitors. Their visits jumped 29.1 percent from a year earlier to 2.27 million, while domestic visits edged down about 1 percent to 5.14 million. Foreign visitors made up 30.6 percent of total visitors, up from 25.3 percent last year.
 

Foreign tourists visit Gyeongbokgung Palace in central Seoul on May 13, 2026. AJP Yoo Na-hyun

Gyeongbokgung, Seoul's most visited historic site, attracted 3.65 million visitors, up 10.7 percent from a year earlier. Foreign visitors increased to 1.63 million, more than offsetting a 4.5 percent decline in domestic visitors to just over 2 million.

Deoksugung attracted 1.75 million visitors, followed by Changdeokgung with 1.05 million and Changgyeonggung with about 611,000. Jongmyo, the royal ancestral shrine of the Joseon Dynasty, welcomed nearly 350,000 visitors.
 

A foreign visitor looks around Jongmyo Shrine in Seoul on July 16, 2026. AJP Han Jun-gu

Visitor numbers have continued to recover since the coronavirus pandemic, when the four palaces and Jongmyo Shrine attracted fewer than 7 million visitors combined for the entire year of 2021.

Last year, total admissions surpassed 17.8 million for the first time, buoyed by a recovery in inbound tourism and growing global interest in Korean culture.

The Korea Heritage Service said Changdeokgung, Jongmyo and the Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty will remain open free of charge through July 19 to mark the 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, which opens in Busan on July 19.

Jongmyo, which normally operates only through guided tours, will also allow self-guided visits through August.