THE MAIN JOSEON PALACE IN THE MOONLIGHT

Gyeongbokgung Palace to be opened at night from October 21 to November 29.

The Gyeongbokgung Palace Management Office is opening Gyeongbokgung Palace at night as part of its biannual nighttime tour program.

From October 21 to November 29, nighttime tours will be conducted at the main palace of the Joseon Dynasty over a total of 35 days. The tours will not be offered on Tuesdays. The open hours for nighttime tours are from 19:00 to 21:30 (the final admission is at 20:30).

This Gyeongbokgung Palace nighttime tour program has enjoyed immense popularity among the public, with all tours fully selling out in the past. The daily quota of nighttime visitors has been reduced compared to in the first half year in consideration of the recent wider spread of COVID-19. A maximum of 1,300 visitors will be allowed to enter the palace each night, with 1,000 slots for internet bookings and 300 reserved for on-site ticketing. The entrance fee for the nightly tour is the same as for a daytime tour—3,000 KRW.

For those who wish to book a nightly tour in advance through the internet, reservations can be made on the webpage of the e-commerce platform 11Street (https://ticket.11st.co.kr). Each individual may book up to two tickets. On the day of the visit, an identification card must be presented to get paper tickets issued at an automatic ticketing machine on site before entering the palace. A resident registration card, driver's license, passport, or student card with a photo can serve as a valid means of identification.

Senior citizens aged 65 or over and international visitors can buy tickets on-site. They may do so on the day of their visit at the Gyeongbokgung ticket office after presenting an ID card. As with prior internet booking, each person can buy up to two tickets on-site.

Some groups are entitled to free admission, including men of national merit and their spouses; those with severe disabilities and an accompanying person; those with light disabilities; bereaved family members of men of national merit; those aged six or younger; and those wearing traditional hanbok clothing. They can get tickets issued at the ticket office after presenting relevant certificates or cards (except for hanbok wearers). These free admissions are counted as part of the on-site ticketing share. Please note that those accompanying young children entitled to free admission must secure their own tickets through normal advance booking or on-site ticketing. 

The Gyeongbokgung Palace Management Office has been working to prevent ticket hoarding and scalping. On top of restricting the number of tickets that can be secured with each ID card, advance ticketing will be held two separate times, one for the first slots on October 21~November 7 and one for the second slots on November 8~November 29.

Advance ticketing for the first slots is scheduled to open at 10:00 on October 20 and for the second slots at 10:00 on November 1. To give as many people as possible an opportunity to attend a nighttime tour, the deadline for cancelling bookings has been moved up from midnight of the day before the visit to 17:00. Bookings can be made until midnight on the day before the visit.

The Gyeongbokgung Palace Management Office is committed to rigorously observing COVID-19 safety regulations over the course of the nighttime tour program, including ensuring visitors wear face masks, checking temperatures before entry, and keeping a two-meter distance between visitors. For more details on the nighttime tours, please visit the official webpage of the management office (www.royalpalace.go.kr) or call 02-3700-3900 and 3901.

The Gyeongbokgung Palace Management Office expects that this nighttime tour program will offer the public an opportunity to break away from the daily stress of the extended pandemic and create unforgettable memories at the main palace of the Joseon Dynasty.

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Attachment 1: Details of the implementation schedule and daily ticket quota 

Attachment 2: Photos