Foreign tourists head for Korea's mountains

Korea's mountains are drawing international travelers, with visits to national parks and online interest in hiking tours rising this year.

Global travel platform Klook said traffic for its hiking-related tour products rose about 22 percent from a year earlier between July 1 and Oct. 10. Growth was strongest among travelers from the US and Europe, where traffic climbed 38 percent and 34 percent, respectively. Taiwan, Singapore and the Philippines followed as the next-largest markets browsing hiking tours on the platform.

Official figures point in the same direction. According to the Korea National Park Service, 730,000 foreign visitors went to the country's national parks through the end of July, up about 20 percent from 610,000 in the same period last year. The total for 2025 was 1.13 million, and this year's count is on track to exceed it by a wide margin.

Among mountain national parks, Hallasan on Jeju Island drew the most foreign visitors last year with 270,000, followed by Seoraksan with 110,000, Gyeongju with 100,000 and Bukhansan with 57,000.

Bukhansan, which rises over northern Seoul, has become the go-to option for travelers looking to fit a hike into a city itinerary. On Klook, traffic for small-group half-day Bukhansan tours rose 83 percent among European users and 39 percent among US users.

Many visitors aim high. A survey of 233 foreign visitors to Bukhansan National Park, conducted this year by the Korea National Park Research Institute, found that 75.2 percent had climbed one of the park's main peaks, including Baegundae, Jaunbong, Sinseondae, Wonhyobong and Uisangbong. Respondents in their 20s and 30s accounted for 76.4 percent.

The trend also shows up in Seoul's own tourism data. In the Seoul Tourism Organization's monthly survey of foreign tourists, 5.4 percent of respondents in June said they had visited Bukhansan, Dobongsan or Bugaksan during their stay, up from 3.2 percent in June last year.

Interest is extending well beyond the capital. Seoraksan in Gangwon Province posted the highest traffic growth among hiking destinations on Klook, at 87 percent.

For Seoraksan and Naejangsan in North Jeolla Province, both a long drive from Seoul, demand centered on one-day tours. Traffic for a day tour offering a choice between the two mountains rose 122 percent among US users and 85 percent among European users. A Seoraksan-only day tour saw increases of 24 percent and 39 percent, respectively.

Rental services at three hiking tourism centers in Bukhansan, Bugaksan and Gwanaksan operated by the Seoul Tourism Organization, aimed at foreign travelers who arrive without hiking equipment, are also drawing attention. Traffic for gear rental products rose 45 percent among US users and 145 percent among European users from a year earlier.

Bukhansan rentals drew the most interest of the three, with traffic up 29 percent in the US and 97 percent in Europe.

These three hiking tourism centers also offer guidance in foreign languages.