Seoul's palaces rank among top autumn tourist destinations

Tourists pack Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul, Oct. 9. Yonhap

Seoul’s palaces have been selected as the city’s premier autumn attractions, according to data released Wednesday.

Using big data collected last October from social media comments, consumer trends and other sources, city authorities identified palaces as the clear favorites among both residents and visitors.

Gyeongbok Palace led the pack with over 30,000 social media references, the adjoined Changgyeong and Changdeok palaces ranked fifth, and Deoksu Palace ranked seventh.

Seoul Forest came in second, praised for its scenic maple and ginkgo tree photo zones as well as experiential attractions like the insect and butterfly gardens located inside the park.

The Hyundai Seoul, a flagship department store located in Yeongdeungpo District, came in third.

Cheonggye Stream was the fourth-most mentioned spot, drawing 240,000 foreign tourists throughout the autumn ― especially from Japan and China.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, interest in Mount Nam has surged recently, driven by the popularity of Netflix animated movie “KPop Demon Hunters,” which features the mountain and N Seoul Tower among other landmarks. Officials say this rise in interest could affect this year’s rankings.

Related content and mentions nearly doubled from June — the month the film was released — to August, and estimated foreign visitors to Mount Nam has exceeded 101,000 this year as of August, compared to 43,500 during the same period last year.