Mt. Nam most popular tourist attraction in Seoul

By Lee Hyo-sik

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Mt. Nam in the heart of Seoul is the most popular destination in the capital for foreign visitors, the city government said Friday.

According to an online survey of 1,849 foreign tourists consisting of 1,080 from China, 534 from English-speaking countries and 235 from Japan, 16 percent, or 295, picked Mt. Nam as their favorite spot in Seoul.

They said they most enjoyed hanging a "love padlock" on a fence set up for couples at N Seoul Tower on top of the mountain, and kissing their partners while looking down at the city nightscape.

From Nov. 2 to 20, the city government conducted a survey on its website, asking foreign visitors to name Seoul's most attractive tourist site.

By nationality, 241 Chinese tourists picked Mt. Nam as their favorite place, followed by 44 English-speaking visitors and 10 Japanese.

Myeongdong, the shopping district located in downtown, came in second as 13.4 percent of respondents, or 247, picked it as their favorite. They said that tourists can purchase high-quality cosmetics products at affordable prices there, as well as taste a variety of Korean and other ethnic cuisines at hundreds of restaurants.

The survey also showed that 10.9 percent, or 201 foreign visitors, liked Gyeongbok Palace the most. They said watching the gatekeeper rotation ceremony will live in their memories for a long time. Tourists were also found to have enjoyed taking a tour inside the place and appreciated the unique building structures of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910).

Bukchon Hanok Village came in fourth, with 10.2 percent, or 189 tourists, picking it as their favorite for having many traditional Korean houses preserved. Shopping at Dongdaemun was named as the favorite thing to do in Seoul by 5.4 percent or 99 visitors, followed by walking in Seoul Forest in eastern Seoul at 5.3 percent and watching a night view from a cafe along the Han River at 5.2 percent.

"This survey found that the majority of tourists from English speaking countries picked Gyeongbok Palace as Seoul's best tourist spot, while those from mainland China, Hong Kong and other Chinese speaking nations named Mt. Nam", a Seoul City official said. "Many Japanese tourists were found to most appreciate the Bukchon Hanok Village".

The official said the city government will conduct a survey of foreign visitors on a regular basis and reflect findings in its tourism-related policies to make the capital a more attractive holiday destination.

외국인 '서울 최고 명소는 남산·명동'

외국인들은 남산과 명동을 서울의 최고 명소로 꼽는 것으로 나타났다.

서울시는 외국인 관광객 1천849명을 대상으로 서울에서 가장 매력적인 명소를 묻는 설문조사를 한 결과 '남산 N서울타워에서 연인과 자물쇠 걸고 서울을 내려다보며 키스하기'를 선택한 응답자가 295명(16%)으로 가장 많았다고 25일 밝혔다.

'명동에서 한국 브랜드 화장품 쇼핑 투어'를 고른 외국인도 247명(13.4%)에 달했다.

이어 '경복궁 수문장 교대식 보고 수문군 복식 체험하기' 201명(10.9%), '북촌 8경 한옥골목 탐험하고 한옥 체험' 189명(10.2%)으로 집계됐다.

이밖에 노량진 수산시장과 국립중앙박물관, 전통시장을 명소로 꼽은 응답자도 많았다.

선호하는 서울의 명소는 언어권별로 달랐다. 영어권 출신 외국인은 경복궁이 최고의 명소라고 봤지만 중국어권은 남산, 일본어권은 북촌 한옥마을을 서울에서 가장 좋아하는 명소로 꼽았다.

이번 설문조사는 지난 3일부터 20일까지 서울시 홈페이지를 방문한 외국인(영어권 534명, 중어권 1천80명, 일어권 235명)을 대상으로 이뤄졌다. 서울의 명소 21곳을 제시하고 그 중 1곳을 선택하도록 했다.