National Palace Museum of Korea

국립고궁박물관

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.

Language

The tile-roofed front of the National Palace Museum of Korea above its stone steps

Place information

Korean name: 국립고궁박물관
Address: 12 Hyoja-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul 03045
Opening hours: Mon~Fri·Sun 09:30–17:30 (last entry 17:00) Sat 09:30–21:00 (last entry 20:30)
Closed: Jan 1 · Seollal · Chuseok · last Mon of the month (closed the following day instead if it falls on a public holiday)
Hours notes: The last Wednesday of each month also runs to 21:00 with last entry at 20:30. That is a monthly rule rather than a weekday one, so it is not in the table above.
Time needed: 2 hours
Admission: Free

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Prices

Admission	FreeThe museum states admission is free until it announces otherwise.

Source: National Palace Museum of Korea — visitor information · Sep 2, 2026

History

The Deoksugung office was expanded and reorganised as Gungjung Yumul Jeonsigwan by presidential decree, with the exhibition centre housed in Seokjojeon at Deoksugung. A group to establish a museum of Joseon royal history was subsequently formed, and the name National Palace Museum of Korea was confirmed. The museum first opened with five galleries on one floor, then opened all 12 galleries across three floors.

October 1992
Establishment of Gungjung Yumul Jeonsigwan
December 1992
Opening of Gungjung Yumul Jeonsigwan
November 2004
Formation of the museum planning group
March 2005
Confirmation of the museum's name
August 2005
Opening of the National Palace Museum
November 2007
Opening of the entire museum

National Palace Museum of Korea — history · Sep 25, 2026

What to see

Joseon kings and royal life galleries

On the second floor, the gallery on Joseon kings focuses on symbols and records of the dynasty. The gallery on royal life shows how members of the royal family lived.

Nearby

Gyeonghoeru Pavilion lit at night, mirrored whole in the still surface of the pond

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 Museum of Korean Contemporary History

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.

Tongin Market

Plan around the lunchbox cafe rather than the market: it closes on Tuesdays and stops selling tokens well before the market itself shuts.

National Folk Museum of Korea

Attached to Gyeongbokgung's north-east side, and about ordinary households rather than the court. Its hours split by season — November to February it shuts an hour earlier — so a winter afternoon spent on the palace first leaves too little for it.

Stories about this place

Three Days in Seoul, One District a Day: Jongno, the West and the Southeast
A three-day Seoul itinerary built around one district per day: palaces and museums in Jongno, Hongdae and the Han River in the west, then Bongeunsa and Jamsil in the southeast.
Museums Open Late in Jongno, Seoul: Which Evenings, and How to Walk Them
Five museums and galleries around Gyeongbokgung stay open into the evening, each on a different day of the week. Here is which day is which, what changes on the last Wednesday of the month, how to link them on foot, and what to do on the four evenings when none of them open late.

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