National Museum of Korea 2026: Late Hours on Wednesday and Saturday, Free Admission, How to Get There

Bottom line: According to the National Museum of Korea's official schedule, Wednesdays and Saturdays stay open until 9 p.m. (last entry 8:30 p.m.). Every other day — Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday — it closes at 5:30 p.m. (last entry 5 p.m.). The permanent exhibitions are free every day.

If you didn't know: Mix up your days and show up at 7 or 8 p.m. thinking it's a Wednesday or Saturday, and on a regular day you'll already be one to three hours past the 5 p.m. last-entry cutoff, turned away at the door. Go the other way — not realizing it's actually a late night on a Wednesday or Saturday — and you might rush through or head out early, wasting three or four hours you could have spent inside.

The collection is big enough that one day barely covers it, so the late hours on Wednesday and Saturday let you handle other plans in the daytime and take your time inside in the evening. As the sun goes down, the view through the main hall's glass wall — Namsan mountain framed beyond the museum's reflecting pond — takes on a different mood than it has by day. The permanent exhibition walks you through Korean history from prehistoric times to the modern era in one visit, and one gallery holds both of the museum's National Treasure pensive bodhisattva statues in a single room. The outdoor garden stays open until 10 p.m. regardless of the museum's own hours, so it's a good spot for a walk around the reflecting pond to close out the day after you're done inside.

Journey stage: ④During the trip · Verified 2026-10-23 · Source National Museum of Korea