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| Gyeongbok Palace at night / Korea Times file |
Nighttime sightseeing at Gyeongbok Palace, one of the four royal palaces in Seoul, will resume next month, offering visitors amazing night views with spring flowers in full bloom.
The Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) said Monday the main palace of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) will open from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. from April 1 to May 29 for the regular nighttime tour program.
Up to 1,300 visitors can be accommodated per day, and online ticket reservations are required for all visitors, excluding foreigners.
No tours will be offered Mondays and Tuesdays and from May 11 to 15 due to preparations and cultural performances for the Palace Cultural Festival, a festival held every year at the palace.
The CHA will also restart an annual guided tour program of the palace's marquee Gyeonghoeru, a pavilion used for royal banquets and special government functions, such as state occasions to welcome foreign envoys during the Joseon era, April 1.
The annual event had been held every year since 2010, until COVID-19 forced its cancellation last year, to provide visitors a chance to go inside the structure. Otherwise, the national treasure is off-limits to visitors for better preservation.
The guided tour is offered three times a day for free to all paid visitors to the palace until Oct. 31. A maximum of 20 visitors can take part in the tour each time in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Reservations are required for all participants.
All visitors also must follow COVID-19 protocols, such as mask wearing, temperature checks and social distancing, according to the agency. (Yonhap)
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