Foreign Children Also Get Free Admission to Palaces and Royal Tombs on Children's Day

Excluded under the 'Regulations on Palace and Royal Tomb Viewing'
"Adjusting Exemptions to Fit Social Atmosphere"

Many citizens visiting Gyeongbokgung Palace in Jongno-gu, Seoul, are enjoying an outing on the 24th, the first weekend holiday after the social distancing measures were lifted. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

The Cultural Heritage Administration's Palace and Royal Tombs Headquarters will add foreign children to the list of those eligible for free admission on Children's Day (May 5) at palaces and royal sites (Gyeongbokgung, Deoksugung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung, Jongmyo, Joseon Royal Tombs, Sejong Historic Sites). A representative from the Palace and Royal Tombs Headquarters told Asia Economy on the 28th, "After internal discussions, we decided to expand the scope of free admission."

Recently, the Palace and Royal Tombs Headquarters faced criticism for limiting free admission on Children's Day to domestic children (under 12 years old). The reason foreign children were excluded was due to the "Regulations on Palace and Royal Tomb Viewing." Foreigners were categorized as tourists, and the rules were established accordingly, making it impossible to include them. Article 11, "Admission Fee Reduction," states, "If any of the persons listed in Appendix 1 as eligible for admission fee reduction apply, the admission fee shall be reduced according to the reduction rate." In Appendix 1, foreign nationals eligible for fee reduction are those under 6 years old and those 65 years old or older. The current free admission for domestic children applies to those under 12 years old.

A representative from the Palace and Royal Tombs Headquarters said, "We were unable to revise the 'Regulations on Palace and Royal Tomb Viewing' to align with the social atmosphere that respects cultural diversity," adding, "We will take the criticism as an opportunity to revise the fee reduction categories in detail." They continued, "This year on Children's Day, we will break away from the fixed framework and grant the same benefits to foreign children."