Gyeongbokgung Opens Historic Grounds to Public Weddings
A new Korea Heritage Service program is bringing small weddings to the grounds of the National Palace Museum beside Gyeongbokgung, with strong demand and a larger schedule planned for next year.
SEOUL — The grounds of the National Palace Museum of Korea beside Gyeongbokgung Palace are becoming a setting for public weddings under a new program designed to bring cultural heritage into everyday life and reduce some of the financial pressure facing couples.
The Korea Heritage Service launched the initiative this year, opening a ginkgo-tree rest area outside the museum for small outdoor ceremonies on weekends and public holidays. The location offers views of Geunjeongjeon, the palace’s main throne hall, and is especially popular in autumn as the tree’s leaves turn gold.
Demand has been strong. The program received 293 applications, around 10 times the number of couples selected. Twenty-eight couples are scheduled to marry at the venue through Nov. 8, while the service plans to expand the program to 80 couples during the spring and fall of next year.
The public launch was marked by an Oct. 2 ceremony for Mai, a 27-year-old Estonian YouTuber, and her 37-year-old Korean husband, who asked not to be named. Their wedding combined Western customs with Korean traditions and reflected the bride’s personal connection to the palace. Mai said Gyeongbokgung was where she first wore hanbok and where she had her first date with her husband.
Guests from Estonia wore hanbok, while the mothers of the bride and groom watered a potted orchid together to symbolize the two families establishing roots. The orchid was a gift from first lady Kim Hea Kyung, who visited before the ceremony to congratulate the couple. Mai’s eight-year-old nephew served as ring bearer in a gonryongpo, the ceremonial robe associated with kings of the Joseon era.
Mai and her husband were invited to hold a ceremony separate from those of the regular participants as part of the program’s introduction, in collaboration with the National Palace Museum. The Korea Heritage Service said the couple did not receive financial support.
The initiative illustrates a broader effort to make state-managed heritage spaces part of contemporary public life rather than treating them only as sites to observe. By placing personal milestones in a historic setting, the wedding program also gives couples an alternative to conventional commercial venues. Its planned expansion next year suggests the pilot has tapped substantial interest among people seeking smaller ceremonies with a distinct connection to Korean history and culture.