Seongsu Station. Yonhap News
Seongsu Station on Seoul’s Subway Line 2 has confirmed its reputation as one of the city’s hottest destinations, posting the largest increases in both teenage and general ridership among all stations in the first half of this year.
Teenage ridership at Seongsu Station reached 349,203 in the first half of the year, up 99,069, or 39.6%, from a year earlier, Seoul Metro said on the 12th. General ridership rose to 8,902,747, an increase of 1,459,282, or 19.6%, over the same period.
Ridership by children climbed from 36,150 to 62,707, a gain of 26,557, or 73.5%, the second-largest increase among all stations. Seongsu was the only station to rank among the top five for ridership growth across all three groups — children, teenagers and adults. Seoul Metro said the figures show that “the area is broadening beyond a hot spot drawing a particular age group into a space visited by a wide range of generations.”
The operator also gauged foreign visitors by counting single-use tickets purchased with the English, Chinese or Japanese options at ticketing machines. By that measure, ridership at Seongsu Station rose from 61,647 in the first half of last year to 84,373 this year, an increase of 22,726, or 36.9%.
By the same measure, Gimpo International Airport Station recorded 33,946 riders, up 6,466 (23.5%); Konkuk University Station 8,031, up 1,340 (20%); and Gongdeok Station 10,896, up 1,441 (15.2%).
Where Children and Teenagers Went
The station with the largest increase in child ridership was Ichon Station. It logged 86,183 riders in the first half of this year, up 28,901, or 50.5%, from the same period last year. Seoul Metro attributed the rise to Ichon’s proximity to family-oriented facilities such as the National Museum of Korea, translating family outings into subway trips.
Teenage ridership at Dongmyo Station rose from 37,013 in the first half of last year to 61,748 this year, an increase of 24,735, or 66.8%. Among the top five stations for ridership growth, Dongmyo posted the highest growth rate.
For general ridership, Seoul Station followed Seongsu with an increase of 1,156,972, and Euljiro 1-ga Station rose 753,645. Magok Station reached 2,291,410, up 593,851, or 35%. Seoul Metro said subway demand has expanded not only in the traditional city center but also at emerging business and industrial hubs.
Seongsu-dong Ranks 4th Among World’s Coolest Neighborhoods
Meanwhile, Seoul’s Seongsu-dong was named the fourth coolest neighborhood in the world by Time Out, the well-known British travel and culture magazine. In 2024, Time Out unveiled its list of 38 of the world’s coolest neighborhoods for the year, with Seongsu-dong ranking fourth.
Time Out said Seongsu-dong had “transformed from a former hub of leather, printing and shoemaking industries into one of Seoul’s most creative neighborhoods.” It added that the area, often called Seoul’s Brooklyn, is “full of red-brick warehouses, old factories and shipping containers, and is now home to the trendiest cafes, boutiques and galleries.”