National Museum of Korea 2026: Free Admission Hours, Night Opening, and How to Get There

Bottom line: The National Museum of Korea's permanent collection is free, always. The building connects directly underground to Ichon Station, so you walk straight from the subway into the galleries. It closes at 5:30pm most days, but stays open late until 9pm on Wednesdays and Saturdays, so pick one of those two days if daytime hours don't work for your schedule.

If you didn't know: assuming "it's a museum, so there must be a ticket" and skipping it means missing a free look at national treasures like the pensive bodhisattva statues and gold crowns. Go the other way and you lose out too — know it's free but not check the closing time, show up on a Wednesday or Saturday evening thinking it closes at 6pm like you'd expect, and you throw away the 3 extra hours (6pm-9pm) of the night opening for nothing.

Walk out of Exit 2 at Ichon Station and you're already in the museum's basement level, no long walk required. The permanent galleries span prehistoric and ancient art up through sculpture, crafts and a world cultures wing across several floors, all free, and some rooms, like the "Room of Quiet Contemplation" where the two pensive bodhisattva statues sit side by side, are designed with the lighting and space itself as part of the experience. Foreign-language support comes via audio guides and signage in Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese.

The only part that costs money is whatever special exhibition is running in the special exhibition hall. Those fees and schedules change often, so check the official website before you go for accurate details. If you'd rather see things at a slower pace with fewer crowds, aiming for the Wednesday or Saturday night-opening hours is worth considering.

Journey stage: During the trip · Verified 2026-10-13 · Source National Museum of Korea