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Mount Halla tops list of favorite national parks for foreign visitors

Published: 25 Mar. 2026, 14:02 Updated: 25 Mar. 2026, 16:44

The snow-tipped peak of Mount Halla on Jeju Island is seen from a Canola flower field in Seogwipo on Dec. 28, 2025. [YONHAP]

From volcanic peaks to coastal landscapes, Korea’s national parks drew over 2 million foreign visitors last year, with Mount Halla on Jeju Island being the most popular destination.

Inbound tourists accounted for 1.13 million visits, while about 920,000 came from foreign residents living in Korea, the Korea National Park Service said Wednesday.

The agency based its estimates on mobile roaming data, adopting a data-driven approach to complement the limits of traditional on-site counts.

Chinese visitors made up the largest share at 248,345. They were followed by Taiwanese at 133,157, Filipinos at 92,931, Indonesians at 76,815, Americans at 63,785 and Japanese at 50,733.

A herd of spotted deer runs across a snow-covered field at a Jeju horse grazing ground on Mount Halla in Jeju on Feb. 9. [YONHAP]

Mount Halla, a dormant volcano known for its scenic hiking trails, recorded the highest number of foreign visitors at 271,443. Dadohaehaesang National Park in South Jeolla, the country's largest natural park, drew 141,190.

They were followed by Taeanhaean National Park with 134,562, Hallyeohaesang National Park with 130,860, Mount Seorak National Park with 111,731, Gyeongju National Park with 102,166 and Mount Bukhan National Park with 57,315.

The Korea National Park Service said it will expand services to meet rising demand from foreign visitors, including ranger-led programs tailored for foreigners and AI-powered multilingual guidance to improve accessibility.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY HAN YOUNG-HYE [[email protected]]