By Kang Gahui
Photos = Seoul Tourism Organization
The overwhelming majority of foreign visitors (98.2%) to the reopened Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul's Jongno-gu District said they were "satisfied" with its new look.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seoul Tourism Organization (STO) on Sept. 27 announced the results of a survey on the use and satisfaction with the square conducted over a seven-day period from Aug. 6-20 on 1,071 Korean and non-Koreans who visited the area.
Of the 869 respondents who visited the square before its reopening, 77.3% saying the square was better after its facelift.
The most commonly cited reason was "improvement of park space" (68%), followed by "improved walking environment" (53.6%), "improvement of rest and convenience spaces"(40.6%) and "improvement of accessibility" (39.6%).
On their overall impression of the new look, 87.5% gave a positive response, with 111 foreign nationals (98.2%) expressing satisfaction.
The most cited reason for visiting Gwanghwamun Square was "to rest or watch events there" (46.8%) and the most popular activity was "walking and strolling" (76.1%).
In addition, 87.2% of all respondents said they would revisit Gwanghwamun for tourism or rest.
Shin Dong-jae, STO's tourism research director, said, "We will strive to make Gwanghwamun Square a Seoul landmark that everyone can enjoy through the Seoul Lantern Festival and stimulation of evening tourism."
