It's 5 p.m. After Gyeongbokgung, the National Museum of Korea Stays Open Until 9

If it is already past 5 p.m. after a visit to Gyeongbokgung, the main royal palace of Korea's Joseon dynasty in central Seoul, there is no need to leave the National Museum of Korea off the day's plan just because it is a 15-minute taxi ride away in Yongsan. On Wednesdays and Saturdays, there is no need to worry about the lights going out early; the galleries stay lit well into the evening.

At a glance: Hours Mon/Tue/Thu/Fri/Sun 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m. (last admission 5 p.m.) ㅣ Wed/Sat 9:30 a.m.-9 p.m. (last admission 8:30 p.m.) ㅣ Permanent exhibitions and the Children's Museum free of charge ㅣ Free English/Japanese/Chinese guided tours daily at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. (Sunday Chinese tour at 1 p.m. only), meeting at the Korean Empire gallery on the 1st floor of the permanent exhibition hall, no reservation needed ㅣ Closed January 1, Lunar New Year (Feb 17, 2026), Chuseok (Sep 25, 2026) ㅣ Address 137 Seobinggo-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul

The National Museum of Korea keeps its permanent exhibitions and Children's Museum free year-round. It closes at 6 p.m. on weekdays and Sundays, but every Wednesday and Saturday it stays open until 9 p.m. Measured by last-admission time, that is 210 minutes, or three and a half hours, more than on an ordinary day. Travelers who only see the standard weekday hours in a guidebook and plan their day around them often end up touring Gyeongbokgung or Insadong late in the afternoon, then being turned back at the museum's door after being told admission has already closed.

Extended hours do not make everything free, though. The permanent galleries are always free, but special exhibitions, held separately, require their own ticket. The current special exhibition, "Amazing Thailand," charges adults 8,000 won. First-time visitors should also look into the free foreign-language tours led by museum docents and volunteers: gather at the Korean Empire gallery on the first floor of the permanent exhibition hall at 10:30 a.m. or 1 p.m. daily (1 p.m. only for the Chinese tour on Sundays), and no booking is required.