Snow scene at Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, South Korea. (Source: Xinhua)

On December 29, the Korean National Cultural Heritage Administration said that in 2023, the number of visitors to the four major palaces in Seoul, including Gyeongbok Palace, Changdeok Palace, Changgyeong Palace, Deoksu Palace, Jongmyo (Gyeongbokgung) relics, and the Joseon Dynasty mausoleum complex reached 14,190,782 people.

The number of visitors this year set a record high, up 28.5% compared to last year, surpassing the 13,395,625 visitors of the whole of 2019 - the time before the Covid-19 pandemic broke out.

Previously, the number of visitors to the palace and mausoleum in 2020 and 2021 had decreased sharply, stopping at only 5-6 million visitors due to the impact of epidemic prevention measures.

Among visitors to the palaces and mausoleums, the number of foreign visitors reached 1,957,971, an increase of 261.9% compared to 2022.

In particular, about 100,000 foreign visitors visited the palaces during the two Palace Cultural Festivals held in Spring and Autumn.

In 2024, the National Cultural Heritage Administration will continue to develop palace tour programs, shifting from the method of booking tickets for popular events, such as the night tour of Gyeongbok and Changdeok Palaces, to a lottery method; and introducing a text message notification service for ticket booking results.

( according to VNA )