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| Changdeok Palace starts its Moonlight Tour on April 4. Courtesy of Cultural Heritage Administration |
By Kwon Mee-yoo
Changdeok Palace will start its Moonlight Tour on April 4, the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) announced Monday.
The Moonlight Tour is a popular nighttime stroll program at the ancient palace in Seoul.
Changdeok Palace is one of the Five Grand Palaces built during the 1392-1910 Joseon Kingdom. Built in 1405, it is the second royal residence following the main palace Gyeongbuk Palace. It includes official affairs buildings, royal family residence buildings and the famous "Secret Garden" with a lotus pond and pavilions. UNESCO designated the palace as a World Cultural Heritage site in 1997.
The night tour begins at the main gate Donhwamun, taking a commemorative photo with chief gatekeeper in traditional attire.
Then visitors cross the Geumcheongyo Bridge, the oldest extant bridge in Seoul originally built 1411, to look around Injeongjeon Hall, the main throne hall of Changdeok Palace and National Treasure No. 225, and Nakseonjae Hall, a royal residence building where King Gojong's only daughter Princess Deokhye and Japanese-born crown princess Yi Bang-ja lived.
The tour continues to Sangnyangjeong Pavilion in the back garden of Nakseonjae Hall, which provides a panoramic nightscape of Seoul. Visitors can enjoy traditional Korean refreshments at Yeongyeongdang Hall watching traditional dance and pansori performances, after taking a walk in the Secret Garden including Buyongji Pond.
The tour, hosted by the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation, runs from April 4 to June 9 then resumes Aug. 22 to Oct. 27 (Thursday to Sunday).
Tours on Thursday through Saturday are for Koreans, while Sunday tours are exclusively for foreigners.
Each tour accommodates 100 people with an entrance fee of 30,000 won ($27).
Tickets for 42 tours in the first half of the year will go on sale at ticket.auction.co.kr on March 20 at 2 p.m. Foreigners, elderly people over 65 and the disabled can buy tickets by calling 1566-1369.
The remaining 60 tours for the second half of the year will be available from Aug. 7.
Visit chf.or.kr for more information.
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