The number of visitors last year to the four royal Seoul palaces, Jongmyo Shrine and Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty broke a record. Shown is the opening ceremony of the Royal Culture Festival on April 28, 2023.

By Lee Dasom

The number of visitors last year to the four main palaces of Seoul, Jongmyo Shrine and Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty reached a record high.

The Royal Palaces and Tombs Center under the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) on Dec. 29 said an estimated 14.2 million people visited last year the palaces of Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung and Deoksugung as well as the shrine and the tombs, breaking the previous record of 13.39 million in 2019.

The number of visitors rose 28.5% from 11.05 million in 2022.

The foreign tourist count to the six places was 1.95 million, a 262% jump from 540,000 in 2022.

In addition, 100,000 people from abroad went to the spring and fall editions of the K-Royal Culture Festival, a big jump from about 40,000 in 2022.

Given the surge in visitor traffic, CHA said it will expand evening programs like Gyeongbokgung Palace Starlight Tour and Moonlight Tour at Changdeokgung Palace, both of which display the beauty of the palaces and royal Joseon culture, and offer more opportunities to experience Korean history and tradition through the K-Royal event and the Joseon Royal Tombs Festival.

The cultural authority also announced plans this year to develop more programs using the palaces and expand those exclusively for foreign visitors. It will also streamline the ticket reservation system by expanding the proportion of admission granted through a lottery system for the digitally disadvantaged and offer more convenient viewing services for the public.

dlektha0319@korea.kr