Dongmyo Station recorded the highest weekend ridership growth rate among Seoul subway stations in the first half of this year, with passenger numbers rising 46.3% over weekday levels, according to an analysis by Seoul Metro.
Hongik University Station saw the largest absolute increase, with average daily weekend ridership running about 13,000 higher than on weekdays.
Dongmyo Station averaged 9,112 more boardings and alightings per day on weekends than on weekdays, a 46.3% increase and the highest rate among all stations analyzed. Seoul Metro attributed the surge to growing weekend visits to the Dongmyo flea market, which has gained a following among younger generations and foreign tourists as a go-to spot for vintage finds.
Nearby Dongdaemun Station also posted a weekend uptick, with ridership rising 8.4% over weekday levels, driven by continued shopping and tourism demand in the area.
In terms of raw passenger gains, Hongik University Station led all stations. It averaged about 160,000 riders per day on weekends, an increase of 13,095 over weekday figures. Seoul Metro credited the station's strong performance to the area's diverse cultural offerings, including Red Road busking performances, flea markets and pop-up stores.
Stations serving shopping and entertainment venues also saw notable weekend gains. Express Bus Terminal Station drew more visitors to its shopping complexes and multipurpose cultural spaces, while Olympic Park Station and World Cup Stadium Station benefited from higher attendance at concerts and sporting events.
Stations near parks and cultural institutions rounded out the list. Ichon Station saw more visitors heading to the National Museum of Korea and Yongsan Family Park, while Jayang Station recorded higher weekend traffic tied to Han River events at Ttukseom Hangang Park, including drone light shows.
Seoul Metro said it plans to use the findings to strengthen safety management and improve service at stations expected to see heavy weekend and holiday congestion, tailoring its transport operations to shifting travel demand.
Ma Hae-geun, head of Seoul Metro's operations division, said the analysis confirmed that citizens' travel purposes are becoming increasingly diverse. "We will continue to treat weekend and holiday crowd management and service improvement as our top priorities, so that we can provide transport services that meet changing travel needs and make it more convenient for citizens to use the subway," he said.
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
