National Palace Museum of Korea

If a walk through Gyeongbokgung leaves you wondering what the kings actually used, the answer is in the building next door. The National Palace Museum of Korea gathers the treasures of the Joseon royal court and the Korean Empire. It stands within the palace grounds and admission is free. From royal seals to an emperor's car, it shows the everyday life behind the palace façade.

History: rooted in Korea's first museum

The museum traces its roots to the Imperial Household Museum founded by the Korean Empire inside Changgyeonggung in 1908, regarded as the first museum in Korea. Under Japanese rule it was renamed the "Yi Royal Family Museum". In 1992 a royal relics gallery opened in Seokjojeon Hall at Deoksugung, and in August 2005, the 60th anniversary of liberation, the collection moved to its current site at Gyeongbokgung and became the National Palace Museum. After an interior remodelling it reopened in November 2024.

What to see

• Joseon Kings and Royal Rites galleries: royal seals, investiture documents and ritual objects that expressed the king's authority. The gilded seals have turtle or dragon handles that reward a close look.
• Korean Empire gallery: rooms with Western-style furniture and décor show the modernisation of the Gojong and Sunjong era.
• Royal cars: the cars used by Emperor Sunjong and the Empress, limousines built by GM in the US and Daimler in Britain. Their bodies are made of wood, and the doors carry the golden plum blossom emblem of the imperial family. They are described as the oldest surviving cars in Korea.
• Science and court painting galleries: scientific instruments such as the Jagyeongnu water clock, along with court paintings and calligraphy.
• Uigwe: illustrated records of royal ceremonies. Volumes taken to Japan in 1922 were returned in December 2011 and are kept here.

Good to know

• The collection numbers in the tens of thousands of objects; sources give figures of around 40,000 or 90,000.
• The museum fits easily into a palace visit, and you do not need a palace ticket to visit only the museum.

Nearby

• Gyeongbokgung Palace: the main Joseon palace is right outside. Seeing the objects first makes the purpose of the halls much easier to picture.
• National Folk Museum of Korea: in the eastern part of the same palace grounds, so you can compare royal and everyday life in one day.
• Gwanghwamun Square: the square in front of Gwanghwamun Gate, with the statues of King Sejong and Admiral Yi Sun-sin.

Tripto tips

• Opening hours: Monday to Friday and Sunday 09:30–17:30 (last entry 17:00); Saturdays and the last Wednesday of each month until 21:00 (last entry 20:30).
• Closed: 1 January, Seollal and Chuseok days, and the last Monday of each month. If that falls on a public holiday, the museum closes the following day.
• Admission: free until further notice.
• Getting there: from Gyeongbokgung Station (Line 3), Exit 5 it is about a 2-minute walk; from Exit 4 about 4 minutes.
• Time needed: 1 hour for the highlights, 2 hours for all galleries. The museum is open on Tuesdays, when Gyeongbokgung itself is closed.