Palaces, museums near Constitutional Court to close on impeachment ruling day

Tourists take photos at Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul on Tuesday amid chilly spring weather. The palace will be closed Friday as the Constitutional Court delivers its impeachment ruling on President Yoon Suk Yeol. Yonhap

Major cultural sites near the Constitutional Court in central Seoul will close on Friday when the court delivers its ruling on the impeachment case against President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Gyeongbok Palace, Changdeok Palace, Deoksu Palace and Unhyeon Palace — all located in Jongno District — will be closed to the public that day to ensure public safety and protect national heritage, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said.

Changdeok Palace and Unhyeon Palace are located within a 1-kilometer radius of the court, while concerns over crowding due to expected rallies prompted the closure of Gyeongbok Palace and Deoksu Palace.

Authorities said the closures may be extended depending on how the situation unfolds.

Nearby public museums and facilities will also close. The National Folk Museum of Korea, located inside Gyeongbok Palace, and the National Palace Museum of Korea, located on its western side, will both be closed.

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art’s Seoul branch, along with the nearby Cheong Wa Dae (former presidential office) and the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History in Gwanghwamun will also be closed.

The Constitutional Court is scheduled to deliver its ruling on Yoon’s impeachment case at 11 a.m. Friday.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.