Ditch the commute and hit the mat at Seoul Museum of Craft Art
Summary
Seoul Museum of Craft Art will open nighttime programs in central Seoul this fall, offering open-air yoga, heritage runs and traditional craft workshops near Anguk Station and Bukchon. The first yoga and meditation sessions run from Sept. 19 to Oct. 14, and the museum says the programs are meant to expand evening cultural activity. The museum also plans curator-led tours and a director said the goal is to let people care for their minds and bodies after work.
Key Facts
- Six yoga and meditation sessions are scheduled at 6:30 p.m. from Sept. 19 through Oct. 14 in outdoor areas including the Craft Yard and rooftop.
- About 880 people are expected to participate across the yoga and meditation sessions.
- The Museum Night Run series will include five Friday sessions from Oct. 9 through Nov. 6, starting with Museum Night Run with Cass Light.
- The Oct. 9 opening run will draw 150 participants and include five themed routes, including heritage running, trail running, sketch running, fun running and a Hangeul-themed photo run.
- Weekly Tuesday evening workshops will let adults make mother-of-pearl boxes, while Friday workshops will feature glass art in September and October and metal crafts in November and December.
Participants practice yoga during the 2026 Gwanghwamun Moonlight Yoga program at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, Aug. 5. Yonhap
Trade the rush-hour crush for sunset views, quiet mindfulness and creative spark at the Seoul Museum of Craft Art — located in the heart of central Seoul, just steps from Anguk Station at the entrance to historic Insa-dong and Bukchon — as it opens its doors after dark this fall.
Residents and travelers alike are invited to unwind through open-air yoga on the museum grounds, evening heritage runs through historic Bukchon and hands-on traditional craft workshops.
The programs are designed to give residents more ways to use the museum as an evening leisure space, while supporting Seoul’s efforts to expand nighttime cultural activity.
The first yoga and meditation sessions begin Sept. 19 and continue through Oct. 14, with six sessions scheduled at 6:30 p.m. in outdoor areas including the Craft Yard and rooftop.
Participants will wear headsets and follow professional instructors through yoga and meditation accompanied by sounds including singing bowls, a traditional Korean plucked zither, handpans and gongs.
About 880 people are expected to participate across the six sessions.
The museum will also launch its Museum Night Run series for adults, with five Friday sessions scheduled from Oct. 9 through Nov. 6.
The opening event on Oct. 9, titled “Museum Night Run with Cass Light,” will bring together 150 participants for five themed routes, including heritage running, trail running, sketch running, fun running and a Hangeul-themed photo run.
Four subsequent sessions from Oct. 16 through Nov. 6 will focus on urban history runs, with participants exploring architecture and craft heritage sites alongside Cho Han, an architecture and urban studies professor at Hongik University known as a “running architect.”
Other programs include weekly Tuesday evening workshops where adults can make mother-of-pearl boxes, as well as monthly Friday workshops featuring glass art in September and October and metal crafts in November and December.
Curator-led exhibition tours will also be offered Friday evenings and every other Sunday evening, featuring works by contemporary Korean craft artists.
“Through this nighttime program, I hope citizens can take time after a busy day at work to care for their minds and bodies at the museum while experiencing crafts in a new way,” said Park Sang-bin, director of the Seoul Museum of Craft Art. “We will continue to provide diverse programs so that citizens can enjoy culture and leisure close to their daily lives.”
The museum said it hopes the programs will help residents care for their bodies and minds after work while discovering craft in new ways.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.
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