한겨레·South Korea·

[Photo] Gyeongbok Palace begins special fall tours of royal pavilions

Translate

Two palace-goers snap a picture while on a special tour of Gyeonghoe Pavilion (Gyeonghoeru) at Gyeongbok Palace on Sept. 2, 2026. (Choi Hyeon-su/Hankyoreh)

Special fall tours of the Gyeonghoe and Hyangwon pavilions at Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul began Wednesday.

Gyeonghoeru, which means “Pavilion for Auspicious Gatherings,” is the country's largest pavilion-style structure made of wood. The facility hosted state ceremonies such as banquets for the king with his ministers, receptions for foreign envoys and rain-praying rituals during droughts.

A family snaps a photo while on a special tour of Gyeonghoe Pavilion (Gyeonghoeru) at Gyeongbok Palace on Sept. 2, 2026. (Choi Hyeon-su/Hankyoreh)

Two palace-goers enjoy their perch at Gyeonghoe Pavilion (Gyeonghoeru) at Gyeongbok Palace on Sept. 2, 2026. (Choi Hyeon-su/Hankyoreh)

Run by the Royal Palaces and Tombs Center of the Korea Heritage Service, the tour explores the interior of Gyeonghoeru with expert commentary by a Korea Heritage Service docent, followed by a climb to the second floor to see a majestic view of the palace and Mount Inwang. The next stop is Hyangwon, which was built during the reign of King Gojong.

The tours will run through Oct. 30 on Wednesdays and Fridays, with two sessions per day at 10 am and 2 pm.

Tours are free and can be booked in advance on the Royal Palaces and Tombs Center’s online reservation page. There will be no tours during the Chuseok holiday (Sept. 24-27), Hangeul Day (Oct. 9), or during the K-royal Culture Festival (Oct. 7-11).

We’ve gathered photos for readers to get a closer look at the two royal pavilions.

Palace-goers tour Gyeongbok Palace’s Gyeonghoe Pavilion (Gyeonghoeru) on Sept. 2, 2026. (Choi Hyeon-su/Hankyoreh)

The sign for Gyeongbok Palace’s Hyangwon Pavilion was written by King Gojong himself. (Choi Hyeon-su/Hankyoreh)

Tourists walk through Gyeongbok Palace as seen from Hyangwon Pavilion on Sept. 2, 2026. (Choi Hyeon-su/Hankyoreh)

Palace-goers admire Gyeongbok Palace’s Hyangwon Pavilion on Sept. 2, 2026. (Choi Hyeon-su/Hankyoreh)

A palace-goer snaps a picture of Gyeongbok Palace’s Hyangwon Pavilion on Sept. 2, 2026. (Choi Hyeon-su/Hankyoreh)

View the original on 한겨레 →

KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.