Palace and royal tomb admission fee hikes postponed... Service improvements first, free admission for hanbok wearers also under review

[Financial News] Before admission fees for palaces and royal tombs are raised, improvements to visitor information and facilities, as well as interpretation and payment services, will be pursued. The fee increase scheduled for next January has been postponed, and a new fee structure will be drawn up after considering the free-admission system and the financial burden on the public, among other factors.
According to materials obtained from the National Heritage Administration and made public by Rep. Choi Min-hee of the Democratic Party of Korea on the 8th, the agency plans to improve the visitor environment starting next January, including by adding information boards and rest areas and renovating aging restrooms. Easy payment services and AI- and mobile-based interpretation are also among the areas targeted for improvement.
The review of fee adjustments will also consider the free-admission system and the public interest. The fairness and effectiveness of free admission for hanbok wearers, as well as the scope of what qualifies as hanbok and the standards for wearing it, are also under review.
The National Heritage Administration had originally presented a plan to adjust admission fees for palaces and royal tombs in a second-half work report chaired by the president last August. After holding a public forum, it had planned to announce new fee standards this November and put them into effect on January 1 next year.
Under the revised plan, service improvements that visitors can experience firsthand will be pursued before fees are adjusted. The aim is to build trust in and acceptance of the policy through these improvements. The dates for announcing and implementing specific fee adjustment plans have yet to be determined.
Admission fees for palaces and royal tombs have been effectively frozen for more than 20 years since 2005. The current adult admission fee is 3,000 won for Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung, and 1,000 won for Deoksugung, Changgyeonggung and Jongmyo Shrine. Fees for most Joseon royal tombs are also around 1,000 won.
Last year, 15,031,603 people visited the four major palaces and Jongmyo Shrine, up 14.6% from the previous year. The Palace and Royal Tombs Center's admission revenue last year was 12.09848 billion won, down 2.3% from the previous year. The share of visitors paying admission fell from 37.2% in 2024 to 31.1% last year.
Rep. Choi said, "Adjusting admission fees for palaces and royal tombs is not simply a matter of raising fees; it is an issue that requires comprehensive consideration of the public's right to enjoy culture, preservation and management, and service improvements," adding that measures should be devised after sufficient public discussion.

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