Royal palaces and tombs will offer free admission over the Seollal (Lunar New Year) holiday. Shown is Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul on a snowy day. (Park Dae Jin)

By Margareth Theresia

Admission to royal palaces and tombs will be free for the public over the Seollal (Lunar New Year) holiday, while Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul will host an event featuring the folk painting genre sehwa.

The Korea Heritage Service (KHS) on Feb. 12 announced free admission at the four palaces of Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung and Deoksugung, Jongmyo Shrine and the Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty from Feb. 14-18.

Jongmyo will also suspend its timed system of admission over the period.

The KHS from Feb. 16-18 will hold a sehwa sharing event to mark 2026 as the Year of the Red Horse around Heungnyemun Gate of Gyeongbokgung. In the past, a sehwa was drawn to ward off disease and disaster and pray for peace and fortune in a new year.

Scheduled for twice a day at 10:20 a.m. and 2:20 p.m., the event will give away a combined 6,000 paintings on a first-come, first-served basis.

More information is available on the official websites of the Royal Palaces and Tombs Center under the KHS (royal.khs.go.kr), Korea Heritage Agency (www.kh.or.kr/kha) and the latter's official Instagram account (@goongin_official).

The four palaces, Jongmyo and royal tombs will be closed on Feb. 19, the day after the holiday period.

margareth@korea.kr