1 Million Visitors: Gyeongju Daereungwon Becomes Free... Only Cheonmachong Remains Paid

Gyeongju City to Promote Free Admission Starting in May

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Koo Dae-sun] Daereungwon (Historic Site No. 512), where 23 Silla-era tombs are gathered, is expected to be opened for free as early as this May. Instead, a ticket booth will be installed in front of Cheonmachong, where paid admission will be charged.

On the 25th, Gyeongju City announced that it is undergoing administrative procedures to open Daereungwon for free, connecting major tourist spots such as Dongbu Historic Site and Hwangridan-gil with the downtown area.

Daereungwon is a representative historic site of Gyeongju, with 1,081,410 visitors even in 2021 when the COVID-19 spread was at its peak.

If the admission fee for Daereungwon is removed, it is expected that tourists visiting Hwangridan-gil and Dongbu Historic Site will more easily flow into the downtown area through the now free Daereungwon.

To this end, Gyeongju City has been in consultation with the Cultural Heritage Administration since 2021.

Accordingly, the two institutions, Gyeongju City and the Cultural Heritage Administration, agreed to add an entrance on the east side of Daereungwon in addition to the four entrances including the main gate and the north gate, and construction began in September last year and was completed last month.

With Daereungwon opening for free, construction of a ticket booth at Cheonmachong within Daereungwon is currently underway. Completion is targeted for March.

Daereungwon, which receives over 1 million visitors annually.

Gyeongju City is promoting an amendment to the ‘Gyeongju City Historic Site Admission Fee Collection and Business Consignment Management Ordinance’ to make Daereungwon admission free.

The amended ordinance is scheduled to be submitted to the relevant standing committee of the Gyeongju City Council in March and will be finalized after the plenary session. If the amended ordinance passes, the current admission fees of 3,000 won for adults and 1,000 won for children under 12 will be abolished.

However, Cheonmachong within Daereungwon will charge an admission fee (2,000 won for adults, 1,000 won for adolescents, and 500 won for children) for the preservation of cultural heritage and efficient management.

The free opening of Daereungwon is expected to be implemented from May when the ordinance is finalized.