Moonlight tours planned for Changdeok Palace

Moonlight tours around Changdeok Palace are scheduled to start from next month. Provided by the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea

A classic scene from books and movies about the medieval period shows a lonely warrior, awash in moonlight, standing in the middle of the palace grounds guarding his princess.

And this scene isn’t that far away from what you can experience thanks to the joint efforts of the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea, the Korea Tourism Association and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Midnight tours are offered from September to November at Changdeok Palace, located in Waryong-dong, central Seoul to provide for a memorable experience along the lines of that lonely warrior. The time slots are limited, with just three tours from Sept. 22 to 24, seven tours from Oct. 20 to 24 and three tours from Nov. 19 to 21.

Changdeok Palace was completed in 1405, during the early period of the Joseon Dynasty and although it was destroyed in 1592 during the Japanese invasion, and again in 1693 due to a fire, but because of years of restoration the beauty of the building still exists today and it is now designated as a UNESCO cultural heritage site.

Tour reservations will be allocated on a 50-50 basis between Koreans and foreigners, except for the Chuseok Holiday Sept. 22, when the tour will only be available for Koreans.

The tour is packed with various activities, including a traditional Korean music concert at the Yeongyeong Hall, the lighting of the Injeong Building, walks in the gardens and more.

To participate in this event, visit www.cdg.go.kr or call (02) 3676-3406 for Korean-language services.

Foreigners should go to www.palacetour.co.kr to book a spot on a first come, first serve basis.

Tours will be limited to 120 people at a cost of 30,000 won ($25.17) per person.

By Hannah Kim Contributing Writer [estyle@joongang.co.kr]