Korea grants free entry to royal palaces, tombs during Chuseok
Summary
Korea’s royal palaces, Jongmyo Shrine and Joseon royal tombs will offer free admission during Chuseok from Thursday through Sunday. The Korea Heritage Service said visitors can enter Gyeongbok, Changdeok, Deoksu and Changgyeong palaces without fees, while Changdeok’s rear garden remains excluded. Jongmyo will allow entry without advance reservations, and several guard-changing and patrol ceremonies at Gyeongbok Palace will be open to visitors. The agency is also running online and local heritage programs in Seoul and Jeonju.
Key Facts
- Changdeok Palace’s rear garden is excluded from the free-admission program.
- Jongmyo Shrine, which normally operates by reservation, will allow visitors to enter without advance bookings during the holiday.
- Gyeongbok Palace will host guard-changing ceremonies at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., guard patrol ceremonies at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., and a royal guard patrol at 3 p.m.
- The Korea Heritage Service is offering an online program called Everyone’s Genre Painting 2026 from Friday through Nov. 1.
- The National Intangible Heritage Center in Jeonju will hold a Chuseok folk-play event on Saturday with a 32-team yut-nori tournament.
Tourists pose for photos at Gyeongbok Palace in Jongno District, Seoul, Sept. 2. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
From regal courtyards to historic grounds, Korea’s grand royal palaces and tombs are offering free admission this Chuseok — the nation's major autumn harvest festival — giving visitors a rare, four-day pass to dive headfirst into Korean heritage.
The Korea Heritage Service said Gyeongbok Palace, Changdeok Palace, Deoksu Palace and Changgyeong Palace, along with Jongmyo Shrine and Joseon royal tombs, will waive admission fees from Thursday through Sunday.
Changdeok Palace’s rear garden will remain excluded from the free admission program, while Jongmyo, which normally operates by reservation, will allow visitors to enter without advance bookings during the holiday.
Visitors can also watch the changing of the guard ceremony at Gyeongbok Palace at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., guard patrol ceremonies at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., and the royal guard patrol at 3 p.m. without reservations.
The Korea Heritage Service is also offering an online program, “Everyone’s Genre Painting 2026,” starting Friday and running through Nov. 1, allowing participants to create personalized characters inspired by the Joseon period.
In Jeonju, the National Intangible Heritage Center will hold a Chuseok folk-play event Saturday featuring a 32-team yut-nori tournament, with prizes for the top four teams.
The event, scheduled from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., will also offer participants opportunities to try traditional activities including rice-cake pounding, traditional toy making, folk games and photo booths.
All activities will be free, with tournament participants able to register online in advance or on site for remaining places, while other programs will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
The palace and royal tomb programs will run through Sunday, while the National Intangible Heritage Center event will take place Saturday, according to the Korea Heritage Service.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.
Explore More
- Q.
- Q.
- Q.