South Korea's main palaces, Jongmyo Shrine, the royal tombs of the Joseon Dynasty, national museums and national art museums will open their doors to visitors during the Chuseok holiday.
According to the Korea Heritage Service, the four main palaces — Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Deoksugung and Changgyeonggung — along with Jongmyo Shrine and the Joseon royal tombs will be open free of charge for four days from the 24th to the 27th. Jongmyo Shrine, which normally requires reservations, can be toured freely during the holiday. The rear garden of Changdeokgung, however, will continue to charge admission as usual. Gyeonghuigung is free.
Traditional culture events regularly held at the palaces will also run during the holiday. The changing of the royal guard ceremony at Gyeongbokgung, which offers a glimpse of royal escort traditions from the Joseon Dynasty, takes place at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., while the guard post ceremony is performed at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
For those unable to visit the palaces in person, Joseon-era culture is available online. Visitors can join the "Everyone's Genre Painting" website and create their own Joseon-era alter ego character on a smartphone or computer.
Heo Min, administrator of the Korea Heritage Service, said the four main palaces, Jongmyo Shrine and the Joseon royal tombs are open free of charge during the Chuseok holiday, and that visitors will be able to play traditional games and watch performances. "I hope people enjoy our national heritage during the holiday and have a healing time with their families," Heo said.
National museums are also staging performances and hands-on programs for family visitors. The National Museum of Korea, together with the Traditional Performing Arts Foundation, will hold the National Museum of Korea edition of "The ART SPOT Series" at the museum's open plaza in Seoul's Yongsan District on the 24th and from the 26th to the 27th. Performances including Korean traditional orchestral music, samulnori percussion and newly created traditional performance art will be staged twice a day.
On the 24th, a Korean traditional orchestra and samulnori performers will present folk songs and percussion pieces. On the 26th, the traditional chamber ensemble Sorion and the performance troupe Yeonhee Company Yuhee take the stage, followed on the 27th by the performance group Cheorat, singer Kim Joon-soo and the ethnic fusion band Second Moon.
The Gyeongju National Museum is presenting the special exhibition "Hwangnyongsa Temple, Enshrining the Buddha's Relics," and is running a digital self-guided program at its Wolji Hall. National museums in 13 regions across the country are welcoming visitors with a range of events.
The National Folk Museum of Korea will hold "Chuseok Together" on the 26th and 27th. Outdoors, visitors can try threshing rice with traditional threshing machines and winnowing fans to sort grain, and can make picture frames wishing for a good harvest. Family programs include ssireum wrestling sessions and a tournament, a relay of traditional games and ganggangsullae circle dancing. Visitors can also make mood lamps, soap shaped like songpyeon rice cakes and bookmarks, and enjoy performances including traditional theatrical arts and a children's Korean traditional music musical. Admission to national museums is free.
The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art will open its four branches — Seoul, Gwacheon, Deoksugung and Cheongju — free of charge through the 27th. At the Seoul branch, visitors can see the solo exhibition "Do Ho Suh," as well as Christine Sun Kim's "Stubborn Rock — Reckless Fights" in the MMCA X LG OLED series, "Korea Artist Prize 2026" and "This Is (Not) Conceptual Art."
The Deoksugung branch is holding an exhibition spotlighting the work of Lee Dai-won. The Gwacheon branch is running an exhibition marking the 40th anniversary of its opening and another covering Korean and Japanese art since 1945. The Cheongju branch is welcoming visitors with a retrospective of Bang Hai-ja, known for stained glass at Chartres Cathedral in France.
Visitors should check in advance, as some institutions close on certain days during the holiday.
