National Folk Museum of Korea

The National Folk Museum of Korea stands in the north-east corner of the Gyeongbokgung Palace grounds, on Samcheong-ro in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Instead of royal treasures it shows the everyday objects and customs of ordinary Koreans, so in one building you can follow how people spent their year and lived their lives. Admission is free, which makes it an easy add-on to a palace visit.

History: a museum that kept moving

Its roots go back to the National Museum of Ethnology, founded in 1945 and opened in 1946. After the Korean War it was merged into the National Museum, then re-emerged in 1966 as the Korean Folk Hall inside Gyeongbokgung and in 1975 as the Korean Folk Museum. In 1993 it moved into its current home, the former National Museum of Korea building. The main building, designed by architect Kang Bong-jin, borrows the forms of traditional structures such as Palsangjeon at Beopjusa, Mireukjeon at Geumsansa and Gakhwangjeon at Hwaeomsa. In 2021 the museum also opened an open-storage branch in Paju.

What to see

• Hall 1, "Koreans Today": objects, tastes and shared moments handed down over time, showing the everyday life behind today's Korean culture.
• Hall 2, "A Korean's Year": the farming calendar, festivals and seasonal customs that shaped the year in the 19th and 20th centuries.
• Hall 3, "A Korean's Life": the rites of passage from birth and marriage to death, from the Joseon era to modern times.
• Open-air exhibits: village guardian posts (jangseung) and stone cairns, the twelve zodiac statues, Jeju dol hareubang, a millstone and a water mill. The "Street of Memories", recreating a 1970s–80s alley, and an old streetcar are crowd favourites.
• Children's Museum: hands-on exhibitions for kids, run with separate reservations.

Good to know

• The collection numbers around 98,000 items. Many are everyday things such as onggi jars, side-dish bowls, wedding clothes and farm tools, which is exactly what brings old daily life close.
• The museum holds seasonal events on holidays such as Seollal and Chuseok and on traditional days such as Ipchun, Jeongwol Daeboreum and Dano, plus cultural performances on Culture Day, the last Wednesday of the month.
• If you drive, there is a paid basement car park with space for about 240 cars, though nearby roads are often congested and the subway is easier.

Tripto tips

• Opening hours: March–May and September–October 09:00–18:00, June–August 09:00–18:30, November–February 09:00–17:00. Last entry one hour before closing. Sources differ on which evenings have extended hours, so check the official website.
• Closed: 1 January and some days over the Seollal and Chuseok holidays.
• Admission: the museum is free. Gyeongbokgung Palace requires a separate ticket.
• Getting there: from Line 3 Anguk Station exit 1, walk along Samcheong-ro to the museum-side entrance. If you visit the palace first, start at Line 3 Gyeongbokgung Station and walk through the grounds.
• Time needed: 1–2 hours covers the permanent halls and the open-air area. Folk performances are sometimes held on weekend afternoons.