A record 17.8 million people visited South Korea’s royal palaces, royal tombs and Jongmyo Shrine in 2025, government officials said Monday, reflecting sustained growth in public interest in traditional Korean culture.
According to the Royal Palaces and Tombs Center under the Korea Heritage Service, a total of 17,805,664 visitors were recorded last year, representing a 12.8 percent increase from 15.78 million in 2024.
The figure marks the highest annual total on record and the first time combined visitors to the country’s four major royal palaces — Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung and Deoksugung — along with Jongmyo Shrine and the royal tombs of the Joseon Dynasty, exceeded 17 million.
Jongmyo Shrine houses the ancestral tablets of the royal family of the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910) and remains one of Korea’s most significant Confucian heritage sites.
Visitor numbers had dropped sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic, falling to 6.7 million in 2021, but have since rebounded steadily. Attendance has remained above 10 million for four consecutive years, with annual totals climbing from 14.37 million in 2023 to 15.78 million in 2024, and reaching a new peak in 2025, the agency said.
Gyeongbokgung Palace, the largest of Seoul’s royal palaces, attracted the highest number of visitors at 6.89 million, accounting for 38.7 percent of total admissions. It was followed by Changgyeonggung Palace with 3.56 million visitors, Deoksugung Palace with 2.22 million, and Changdeokgung Palace with 1.6 million.
The number of foreign visitors also rose sharply, reaching 4.27 million in 2025, a 34.4 percent increase from the previous year. Overseas tourists made up nearly one-quarter of all visitors.
Foreigners accounted for 40.4 percent of visitors at Gyeongbokgung Palace, while they represented 16.8 percent of total admissions at Jongmyo Shrine, according to the agency.
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