Art Museums and Palaces Buzzing at Night... Nighttime Visitors to Seoul's Major Cultural Venues Double

Six cultural facilities open until 9 p.m. five days a week
Total visitors approach 1.2 million; daily visitors to Unhyeongung surge 2.5-fold

Since expanding nighttime opening hours at major cultural facilities to create a “24-hour vibrant economic city,” Seoul has seen visitor numbers more than double, the city said.

Seoul Mayor Oh Sehoon takes part in a traditional tuho-throwing mission with participants in the “Dalbit Milhaeng” event at Unhyeongung on the 11th. Seoul Metropolitan Government

On November 12, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said that total visitor numbers had increased by about 2.1 times after it expanded nighttime opening hours at six major cultural facilities: the Seoul Museum of History, Seoul Museum of Craft Art, Hanseong Baekje Museum, Unhyeongung, Namsangol Hanok Village, and the Story of King Sejong and Admiral Yi Sun-sin.

Since September 15, the city has extended nighttime opening hours from primarily Fridays to five days a week—Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday—until 9 p.m. The extended hours will continue through November 30.

Through October 31, about 1,198,000 people had visited the six facilities since the extended hours began. That was 2.1 times the 569,000 visitors recorded during the period before the expansion, from August 1 to September 14.

Of those visitors, more than 85,000 people visited between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. Unhyeongung saw the most notable increase among the facilities: its average daily visitors rose about 2.5 times, from 886 before the expansion to 2,200 afterward.

The cultural facilities attracted visitors with a series of experiential programs that highlighted each venue's distinctive character in the evening. Unhyeongung offered “Dalbitmilhaeng,” a mission-based traditional cultural experience, while Namsangol Hanok Village hosted a nighttime escape room. Seoul Museum of Craft Art held “Craft Night: Yoga and Meditation” and the “Museum Night Run,” and Sejong Center for the Performing Arts presented the outdoor lounge “Curtain Call Garden” and a “Backstage Tour.”

The previous evening, Seoul Mayor Oh Sehoon visited Seoul Museum of Craft Art, Unhyeongung, and Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in turn, taking part in programs with young artists and residents and inspecting operations on site. He then held a meeting with officials from the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, and Seoul Tourism Organization to discuss expanding nighttime cultural offerings and connecting them with nearby commercial districts.

“The city is extending the operating hours of the cultural and arts spaces it manages to make Seoul a vibrant city that runs 24 hours a day,” Mayor Oh said. “We will continue to create an environment where people can enjoy cultural spaces with family and friends after work and recharge both physically and mentally.”

The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to review the results of the pilot program, improve programs tailored to each facility, and expand efforts to link visits to cultural facilities with the revitalization of nearby neighborhood businesses, including restaurants and cafes.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.