Massive crowds overrun Gyeongbok Palace

Thousands of visitors formed long queues at the ticket booths in front of Gyeongbok Palace at 7 p.m. on Sunday, the final day of late-night opening.

The Cultural Heritage Administration received around 25,000 online bookings for Sunday and limited sales at the site to 10,000. But the handful of ticket inspectors lost control as the stream of visitors surged past them.

CHA came under fierce criticism as the royal palace from the Chosun Dynasty quickly became a random picnic site for tens of thousands of people.

As more and more people flooded in, there was no way for those already in the palace to appreciate the historic site.

Some 100 picnic mats were laid out near the lake in the palace, and people started eating their packed snacks and drinking beer. Some even slept on the lawn.

A 27-year-old university student complained, "I just can't understand how they admitted nearly 40,000 visitors.

The number should have been limited to 1,000 and the inspectors should have checked visitors' belongings thoroughly.

"On a day like today, there was nothing they could do if someone just sneaked in and set the whole place on fire."

A CHA official said Gyeongbok Palace was first opened at night for a limited period in 2010, but the online booking system was only introduced this year, and this led to explosive increase in the number of visitors.

"When we reopen the palace at night in October, we will create safer environment by capping the number at around 10,000 to 15,000 a day," he added.