Royal palaces and tombs managed by the Korea Heritage Service will open one hour later than usual on Nov. 19, the day of South Korea's 2027 College Scholastic Ability Test, or Suneung, the country's annual college entrance exam.
All sites operated by the agency's Royal Palaces and Tombs Center will open at 10 a.m. instead of the usual 9 a.m. to help ease traffic congestion and ensure students can reach their exam venues on time, the center said.
The change applies to the palaces Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung and Deoksugung, the shrine Jongmyo, the altar Sajikdan and royal tombs and other heritage sites under the center, including Donggureung, Seolleung and Jeongneung, as well as Yungneung and Geolleung.
At Gyeongbokgung, all entrances, including Gwanghwamun, Hyeopsengmun and Yongseongmun, which normally open at 8 a.m., will also open at 10 a.m. Guided tours of Gyeongbokgung and Chilgung Shrine will begin at 10:10 a.m., 10 minutes later than usual.
At Changdeokgung, the free Korean-language guided tour of the palace buildings scheduled for 9:30 a.m. will be canceled, as will the 10 a.m. Chinese-language tour. Tours of the palace's rear garden will not be available at 10 a.m., instead beginning at 10:30 a.m.
Changgyeonggung will cancel its 9:30 a.m. Korean-language tour, while guided tours of Seokjojeon at Deoksugung will begin at 10:30 a.m. Sungnyemun, Junmyeongjeon and the Path of King Gojong will also open at 10 a.m.
Meanwhile, the four major palaces — Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung and Deoksugung — along with Jongmyo and the Joseon royal tombs are offering free admission through Sunday as part of the Korea Grand Festival.
hwangdh@heraldcorp.com
