National Museum of Korean Contemporary History
대한민국역사박물관
Across from Gwanghwamun Square, covering Korea since the ports opened in 1876. Where the Seoul Museum of History takes the city, this takes the country, so the two do not overlap. Wednesday and Saturday are the only days it runs to 21:00.
Language
Place information
- Korean name
- 대한민국역사박물관
- Address
- 198 Sejong-daero, Jongno-gu, Seoul
- Opening hours
- Mon·Tue·Thu·Fri·Sun 10:00–18:00 (last entry 17:30) Wed·Sat 10:00–21:00 (last entry 20:30)
- Closed
- Jan 1 · Seollal · Chuseok
- Hours notes
- The museum states that entry closes 30 minutes before the galleries do; the last-entry times above are that rule applied to each day.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Admission
- Free
Prices
| Admission | Free |
|---|
Source: National Museum of Korean Contemporary History — general admission ·
Nearby
Sejong Center for the Performing Arts
The city-run performing arts centre across from Gwanghwamun Square, running several halls beside its main theatre. It sits where a day spent between Gyeongbokgung and Gwanghwamun already ends.
Gyeongbokgung Palace
Best for a first palace visit in Seoul; allow time for the central halls and check the official schedule before adding a guard ceremony.
National Palace Museum of Korea
A national museum inside Gyeongbokgung's walls, at the south-west corner. It holds what the buildings alone cannot show — royal seals, the court protocol records, palanquins, the water clock. Saturdays and the last Wednesday of each month are the only nights it stays open to 21:00.
Cheonggyecheon
A stream running east across the middle of the city. The work that lifted the road deck off it began in July 2003 and finished in September 2005, and the water has been walkable alongside ever since. Cheonggye Plaza, at the western end, is where most people start.
Stories about this place
- Six in Jongno, and the Evening Each One Opens
Six national and city institutions sit within walking distance of Gyeongbokgung, and no two of them run their late evening on the same schedule. The Palace Museum opens Saturday, the Seoul Museum of History Friday, MMCA Seoul and the contemporary-history museum Wednesday and Saturday, the Folk Museum on Wednesdays from March to October. Only Jogyesa publishes no hours at all.
Nearby Food
- Five Seoul Korean Barbecue Restaurants: Hanwoo, Galbi, Bulgogi and Pork Belly
- What the broth is made of — eight Seoul houses, seven different bases
- Northern Korean Food in Seoul: Naengmyeon, Eobok-jaengban, Mandu and Kongbiji
- Seven Seoul houses that open for breakfast — before eight in the morning
- Six Seoul houses that make the noodle by hand — kalguksu, guksi, sujebi
- Enjoying Seoul's Cafe Culture
Travel Guides
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