Korea Considers First Palace and Royal Tomb Admission Fee Increase in Two Decades

South Korea is considering raising admission fees at major royal palaces and Joseon-era royal tombs next year, potentially ending a two-decade freeze as heritage officials examine how to fund preservation and improve visitor experiences.

Current adult admission costs 3,000 won at Gyeongbok Palace and Changdeok Palace. Jongmyo Shrine, Changgyeong Palace and Deoksu Palace charge 1,000 won, while tickets to royal tombs range from 500 won to 2,000 won. The fee schedule has remained unchanged since 2005.

The Korea Heritage Service raised the issue at a recent public forum where officials and experts discussed whether the prices remain appropriate. Kim Jae-kyu, head of the private National Heritage Planning and Evaluation Institute, argued that admission to Korean royal heritage sites is inexpensive by international standards. Using the Big Mac index for comparison, he said admission to Versailles in France was equivalent to about nine Big Macs and entry to Japan’s Nijo Castle to roughly 1.2, while Gyeongbok and Changdeok palaces cost about half of one.

Visitor and revenue trends are also shaping the review. About 17.81 million people visited South Korea’s four major palaces, Jongmyo and the royal tombs in 2025. Roughly 69 percent entered through free admission programs. Compared with 2024, overall attendance increased 12.9 percent, but the number of paying visitors fell 5.2 percent and admission revenue declined 4.1 percent, according to figures presented at the forum.

The heritage service disclosed survey results indicating that respondents considered an average fee of 9,203 won appropriate for palaces and 7,196 won for royal tombs and Jongmyo. Those figures are more than three times the current range of 1,000 won to 3,000 won at the main sites. Some forum participants favored phasing in any increase rather than imposing a large rise at once.

Officials said changing expectations are part of the debate. Visitors increasingly seek accessible interpretation and interactive activities in addition to preservation and basic maintenance, Kim said. That creates pressure to improve programs while sustaining historic properties.

Demand has continued to grow this year. Around 7.41 million people visited the four major palaces and Jongmyo between January and June. Cho Kyu-hyung, head of the heritage service’s Royal Palaces and Tombs Center, said the fee system requires serious reconsideration to support the sustainable preservation and use of national heritage. He said the service would review a range of views before deciding how to proceed. No final price changes have been announced.