South Korea Sees Increase in Foreigners Hiking in the Mountains
To me this is not surprising because not only does Korea have beautiful mountain scenery, but the trail infrastructure is really outstanding:
Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young, left, hikes a trail on Mount Bukhan in Seoul, Sunday, alongside famed mountaineer Um Hong-gil, right, and members of France’s trekking organization Fédération Française de la Randonnée. Courtesy of Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Overseas visitors to Korea are increasingly choosing mountain peaks over historic palaces.
On Sunday, the trend was highlighted when 11 members of France’s Fédération Française de la Randonnée hiked in Bukhansan National Park with Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young and renowned climber Um Hong-gil.
The visit is part of a larger group of about 40 association members currently touring Korea in three separate 11-day trips, hiking not just Mount Bukhan, but also Hahoe Folk Village in Andong, Mount Nam in Gyeongju, Mount Geumjeong in Busan, Suncheon Bay and a temple stay at Hwaeom Temple near Mount Jiri. The Korea Tourism Organization arranged the trip as part of its marketing push for Korean walking tourism.
The timing lines up with a campaign the tourism agency launched in July with the Korea National Park Service, aiming to draw a combined 3 million visitors to national parks by 2028.
Under the initiative, foreign visitors can borrow hiking boots and trekking poles for free and receive a keychain souvenir at participating parks, lowering the barrier for tourists who arrive in Korea without gear or a plan.
That barrier has already been falling on its own. Foreigners accounted for roughly 2.05 million of the visits to Korea’s national parks last year, according to the Korea National Park Service, with Mount Halla on Jeju Island drawing the largest share at more than 270,000, followed by Mount Seorak and Mount Bukhan.
In Seoul specifically, foot traffic data from the Seoul AI Foundation showed foreign visitation climbing fastest not at palaces or shopping streets but at hiking spots, up 11.8 percent at Mount Acha and 10 percent at Mount Gwanak year-on-year.
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