National Hangeul Museum Closed Until 2028: Why Your Guidebook's 'Free Seoul Attraction' Is Off-Limits

Travel guidebooks and blogs still list it as a free must-see, but the National Hangeul Museum in Seoul's Yongsan District has its doors shut right now. An expansion project that began in October 2024 was then hit by a fire during construction, pushing the reopening all the way to fall 2028.

At a glance: Address 139 Seobinggo-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul · Closed since October 2024 for an expansion project · A fire on February 1, 2025 damaged parts of the 3rd and 4th floors during construction · Reopening targeted for September 2028, with a full reopening planned for October · About 90,000 Hangeul-related artifacts have been relocated to the National Folk Museum of Korea, the National Museum of Korea, and the National Hangeul World Museum.

Sitting right next to the National Museum of Korea, this museum was known as a free, easy add-on after visiting Gyeongbokgung Palace or the main museum. But before the expansion that started in October 2024 could finish, a fire in February 2025 scorched parts of the 3rd and 4th floors and injured one firefighter. For safety, the roughly 90,000 Hangeul-related artifacts in its collection were split up and moved to three institutions: the National Folk Museum of Korea, the National Museum of Korea, and the National Hangeul World Museum.

The problem is that current travel information hasn't fully caught up with this. Tourists who plan a stop at the Hangeul Museum alongside the National Museum of Korea can still end up turning back at a locked door. With reopening targeted for September 2028 at the earliest and a full opening planned for October, the time-saving move until then is to simply leave it off your itinerary. In the meantime, some of its Hangeul-related holdings can still be viewed at the National Museum of Korea, where they were relocated, so it's worth checking that museum's current exhibits if you're curious.