The National Folk Museum's Korean Folk Performances for Visitors (국립민속박물관 우리민속한마당)

1.2Km 2021-07-07

37, Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
• 1330 Travel Hotline: +82-2-1330 (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese) • For more info: +82-2-3704-3114

The National Folk Museum is the leading museum depicting Korean folk culture that attracts 3 million visitors every year. Every Saturday, the museum offers free performances where Korean music, traditional dance, martial arts, and mask plays are performed for Korean and international spectators to illustrate Korea’s major seasonal events, special exhibitions, and traditional intangible cultures.

National Folk Museum of Korea Children’s Museum (국립민속박물관 어린이박물관)

1.2Km 2019-03-18

37, Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
+82-2-3704-4540, 4524

The Children’s Museum is a hands-on experience museum run by the National Folk Museum of Korea. A variety of visual aids and assembly models allow children to touch and feel pieces and experience folk history in an interactive way. The theme of the exhibitions consists of folk clothing, food, shelter, social life, and entertainment. The museum has a number of interactive spaces including a table set for an ancestral ritual, magnet miniatures depicting a baby’s first birthday, and an area where young visitors can build a folk house. Young learners can also create an avatar wearing in Hanbok, make kimchi using visual aids, or play gonu (a traditional board game). The museum also collects, preserves, and maintains relics and historical items related to youth and youth culture.

The Great Full Moon Festival (정월대보름 한마당)

1.2Km 2025-02-05

37 Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
+82-2-3704-3106

The National Folk Museum is celebrating the first full moon of the Lunar new year, Jeongwol Daeboreum. A variety of experiences are prepared to eliminate bad luck and pray for prosperity and health. The event provides a chance for locals and tourists alike to learn more about the traditional culture of Korea.

Deoksugung Palace Royal Guard Changing Ceremony (덕수궁 왕궁수문장교대의식)

1.2Km 2024-11-28

99, Sejong-daero, Jung-gu, Seoul
• 1330 Travel Hotline: +82-2-1330 (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese) • For more info: +82-2-737-6444

Deoksugung Palace has held a guard changing ceremony since 1996 after thorough historical research by leading historians. The ceremony, which is held in front of Daehanmun Gate of Deoksugung Palace, is a tradition similar to the Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace and offers a rare opportunity to experience royal culture. The royal gate is opened and closed at pre-determined times, and the gatekeepers in charge of guard duty and patrols hold a shift ceremony three times a day.

The Royal Guard Changing Ceremony is a highly recommended event for tourists. It is held three times a day, with each ceremony following the same procedure and lasts for forty minutes to an hour, and the ceremony is free of charge. There are no ceremonies on Mondays as well as on severely cold or hot days.

As the ceremony begins, the changing of the guards commences replete with traditional musical instruments, and exchanges a password for verification. An eight-minute guard ceremony ensues, followed by a seven-minute change ceremony, and finally a patrol that completes the ceremony. The procedure takes a dramatic turn when 18 guards in six official positions beat a drum and bellow some orders.

The Royal Guard Changing Ceremony is a great opportunity to experience a rare traditional scene. The guards’ splendid costumes, with their brilliant primary colors, are a pleasure to view. Once the ceremony is over, visitors can take pictures with the gatekeepers.

Hwangsaengga Kalguksu (황생가칼국수)

1.2Km 2024-03-18

78 Bukchon-ro 5-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
+82-2-739-6334

Hwangsaengga Kalguksu is a specialty restaurant located near Gyeongbokgung Palace, known for its kalguksu (noodle soup). Kalguksu is a type of noodle soup made by thinly slicing dough into noodles with a knife and boiling them in a broth made from beef bones, clams, or seafood. Their menu includes options like wang mandu (jumbo mandu), hanu suyuk (boiled Korean beef slices), kongguksu (noodles in cold soybean soup), beoseot jeongol (mushroom hot pot), and mandutguk (mandu soup). It was selected as a Michelin Guide Seoul 2023 restaurant.

Bugeogukjip (북어국집)

1.2Km 2024-12-27

38, Eulji-ro 1-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
+82-2-777-3891

Bugeogukjip (formerly “Teojutgol”) is a restaurant behind City Hall in Seoul that has been serving up authentic dried Pollack soup since 1968. Despite a name change, the restaurant has proudly stood in this same location for decades, earning a strong reputation for its dried Pollack soup made using traditional cooking methods.

Since the restaurant only serves one thing—dried Pollack soup—there are few preparations to be made and the meal arrives on your table in minutes. Customers are free to serve themselves basic side dishes such as kimchi and can have as many servings of rice as they’d like, allowing diners to enjoy a hearty meal at a low price. While the restaurant’s design and menu may be simple, Bugeogukjip takes pride in its long history and the careful efforts that have earned it a reputation as one of the most notable restaurants in Seoul.

Songa Myeongga (손가명가)

1.2Km 2021-03-19

13, Dadong-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
+82-2-777-1013

This Korean cuisine is located near Euljiro 1(il)ga Station, Seoul. It is a popular restaurant for group dinners. The representative menu is pork and kimchi stew.

Chamsutgol (참숯골)

1.2Km 2019-08-01

16, Mugyo-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul
+82-2-774-2100

Located in Mugyo-dong in Jung-gu, Seoul, Chamsutgol (참숯골) is an upscale restaurant serving hanu beef dishes. The restaurant uses only top quality hanu beef from young cattle (two years old or younger) raised on farms in Jeolla-do Province. For freshness and tenderness, the restaurant serves only fresh meat (not frozen) of A+ grade or higher. To bring out its juiciness and tenderness, the meat is grilled on a charcoal fire.

The elegant ambience and décor and the variety of rooms in different sizes make the restaurant a favorite choice for special events. It is also regularly visited by international tourists. Popular dishes are the sirloin steak and marinated ribs, doengjang soup, and yeongyang dolsotbap (rice served in a hot stone bowl).

Deoksugung Palace's Daehanmun Gate (덕수궁 대한문)

1.3Km 2025-01-13

99 Sejong-daero, Jung-gu, Seoul
+82-2-771-9951

Located near City Hall station, Daehanmun Gate is the main gate of Deoksugung Palace, one of the princiapl five palaces of Joseon dynasty. The name "Daehan" means wish for eternal prosperity of the Korean Empire. In front of the gate, the Palace Royal Guard Changing Ceremony is held twice daily, along with the reproduction of costumes and style throughout the year.

Jeongdong Culture Night (정동야행)

1.3Km 2025-05-20

99 Sejong-daero, Jung-gu, Seoul
+82-2-3396-4625

Jeongdong Culture Night is dedicated to promoting the history and culture of Jeongdong, a neighborhood in Jung-gu, Seoul. The festival programs allow participants to understand how the history is connected to today's culture and offers an opportunity to view Jeongdong's cultural facilities in a different perspective.

The National Folk Museum's Korean Folk Performances for Visitors (국립민속박물관 우리민속한마당) - Area information - Korea travel information