Haedong Yonggung Temple in Busan was lately chosen as one of many 100 must-visit vacationer locations in Korea for 2025-26 by the Ministry of Tradition, Sports activities and Tourism / Courtesy of Korea Tourism Group
100 journey locations across the nation made the federal government’s checklist of must-visit vacationer spots for 2025-26, revealed by the Ministry of Tradition, Sports activities and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Group (KTO), Monday.
Launched in 2012, the biennial venture goals to advertise the nation’s high 100 journey locations for home and worldwide vacationers every year.
This 12 months’s choice was primarily based on an enormous knowledge evaluation of social media search volumes, in addition to three rounds of written and on-site interviews with tourism specialists.
The checklist contains 61 cultural tourism belongings, equivalent to historic websites, monuments and leisure amenities, together with 39 nature-based tourism spots, together with forests, seas and wetlands.
Seoul and the encircling metropolitan space accounted for 22 places, whereas Gangwon Province had 15, the Chungcheong provinces had 15, the Jeolla provinces had 18, the Gyeongsang provinces included 28 and the southernmost Jeju Island boasted six.
A map of Korea with 100 must-visit vacationer spots designated by the Ministry of Tradition, Sports activities and Tourism for 2025-26 / Courtesy of Ministry of Tradition, Sports activities and Tourism
New sizzling spots
Amongst them, 27 have been newly chosen locations, with many being experience-oriented points of interest which might be significantly in style amongst Koreans.
For instance, one such attraction is visiting pop-up shops in jap Seoul’s stylish Seongsu-dong neighborhood. Recognized for its distinctive mix of Nineteen Seventies attraction and modern youth tradition, this once-industrial space now hosts numerous pop-up shops in each nook, making it a well-liked vacation spot for each locals and vacationers.
The district provides an genuine city panorama, with lowrise red-brick buildings that after served as shoemaking ateliers and warehouses. As we speak, these areas host numerous model installations that change each few weeks, attracting younger individuals seeking recent, photogenic experiences.
Guests line as much as enter a pop-up retailer operated by Musinsa, Korea’s largest on-line style platform, at a warehouse in jap Seoul’s Seongsu-dong, Sept. 13, 2024. Korea Instances by Choi Ju-yeon
One other spotlight is buying on the Sokcho Vacationer and Fishery Market in Sokcho, Gangwon Province.
The market, a necessary vacationer attraction within the jap coastal metropolis, options alleys brimming with all kinds of native treats and delicacies.
The market is split into a number of sections, every specializing in several merchandise, equivalent to a vegetable and fruit alley, a chili pepper alley, a blood sausage alley, a salted seafood alley and a rooster alley.
The preferred spot right here is the fishery heart, the place recent dwell fish and dried seafood are offered at cheap costs. Moreover, the rooster alley is a must-visit for these wanting to strive crunchy and spicy „dakgangjeong“ or glazed fried rooster bites.
Sokcho Vacationer and Fishery Market in Sokcho, Gangwon Province, which was lately chosen as one in every of Korea’s 100 must-visit vacationer locations for 2025-26 by the Ministry of Tradition, Sports activities and Tourism / Courtesy of Korea Tourism Group
For Ok-drama followers who loved watching „Squid Recreation,“ Gyodong Island in Ganghwa County, positioned within the western port metropolis of Incheon, is extremely advisable. This picturesque island served as one of many filming places for the hit Netflix unique collection.
Daegu Sayuwon Arboretum, located on the location of a former sanitary landfill, is residence to over 1,000 plant species, together with large cacti, vibrant flowers, medicinal herbs and numerous timber.
The expansive mountain backyard additionally options an exhibition area devoted to world-class architects like Álvaro Siza and Seung H-sang. Moreover, guests can get pleasure from a singular meditative journey alongside forest trails, together with ecology expertise packages designed for younger youngsters.
Jeongdongsimgok Badabuchae Path in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, is a coastal path that has been designated as a pure monument.
The two.86-kilometer-long path, stretching from the Jeongdongjin Solar Cruise car parking zone to Simgok Port, provides breathtaking views of the blue waves within the East Sea. Guests may marvel on the uniquely formed rocks and cliffs, which showcase traces of crustal actions that date again roughly 23 million years.
Jeongdongsimgok Badabuchae Path in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, which was lately chosen as one of many 100 must-visit vacationer locations in Korea for 2025-2026 by the Ministry of Tradition, Sports activities and Tourism / Courtesy of Korea Tourism Group
Lengthy-loved locations
Fourteen signature vacationer locations, beloved by Koreans for a few years, have been honored for the seventh consecutive time on the checklist.
Beginning with the 5 main royal palaces of the 1392-1910 Joseon Dynasty in Seoul — Gyeongbok Palace, Changdeok Palace, Changgyeong Palace, Deoksu Palace, and Gyeonghui Palace — these cultural heritage websites are in style spots the place guests usually come wearing conventional Korean clothes, or hanbok.
Different notable locations embrace Jeonju Hanok Village in North Jeolla Province, Hallasan Nationwide Park and the Jeju Olle Path on Jeju Island, Suncheonman Bay Nationwide Backyard and wetlands in South Jeolla Province, Bulguk Temple and Seokguram Grotto in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, and Suwon Hwaseong Fortress in Gyeonggi Province.
Moreover, the federal government plans to spice up home tourism by issuing the so-called „tourism resident playing cards“ in 45 areas throughout the nation, a rise from final 12 months’s 35 areas.
Issued by the KTO, the digital card supplies journey advantages equivalent to reductions on lodging, meals and experiences for cardholders visiting areas going through a demographic disaster attributable to inhabitants decline.
Over the Lunar New Yr vacation, a number of nationwide museums and galleries will supply particular cultural expertise packages and exhibitions designed for household teams, offering an attractive and academic expertise for guests.
The Nationwide Museum of Trendy and Modern Artwork in Seoul will supply free entry to particular exhibitions, whereas quite a lot of performances shall be held on the Nationwide Gugak Middle, the Nationwide Theatre of Korea and Gwangju’s Asia Tradition Middle, providing guests a wealthy cultural expertise.
„Beginning with the Lunar New Yr vacation, the ministry will launch intensive campaigns to encourage individuals to discover home vacationer locations of their day by day lives. We are going to proceed doing our utmost to focus on the attraction of regional tourism,“ Kim Jeong-hoon, director of the ministry’s tourism coverage bureau, mentioned.
