South Korea’s royal heritage sites welcomed a record 17.8 million visitors in 2025, highlighting growing public interest in traditional culture, officials reported Monday.

The Korea Heritage Service said that combined attendance at the four main palaces—Gyeongbok, Changdeok, Changgyeong, and Deoksu—along with Jongmyo Shrine and the royal tombs, reached 17,805,664, up 12.8 percent from 15.78 million in 2024.

This marks the highest annual total ever recorded.

Jongmyo is where the ancestral tablets of the royal family of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) are enshrined.

Visitor numbers had plunged to just 6.7 million in 2021 amid the Covid-19 pandemic, but have since rebounded, staying above 10 million for four consecutive years.

Annual figures reached 14.37 million in 2023, 15.78 million in 2024 and 17.81 million in 2025, each setting a new record, the agency said.

Gyeongbok Palace, the largest of Seoul’s royal complexes, drew the biggest crowds, with 6.89 million visitors.

The figure accounts for 38.7 percent of admissions to all royal palaces and tombs. It was followed by Deoksu Palace with 3.56 million, Changdeok Palace with 2.22 million and Changgyeong Palace with 1.60 million.

The number of foreign visitors also saw a sharp rise, reaching 4.27 million last year, up 34.4 percent from 2024. Foreign tourists made up nearly a quarter of total visitors.

At Gyeongbok Palace, foreigners accounted for 40.4 percent of all visitors, while at Jongmyo Shrine, the proportion was estimated at 16.8 percent, the agency said. (PNA)