Rarely opened gate links 2 Seoul palaces for exclusive night tours

Visitors will be able to stroll between Changdeok Palace and Changgyeong Palace in Seoul's central area during the night, starting from November 10th through a gate that is usually inaccessible to the public, as per a ticketed night tour announced by the Korea Heritage Service on Wednesday. The tour, titled "Donggwol Dongnak," will be conducted from the 10th to the 15th of November and is organized jointly by the agency's Royal Palaces and Tombs Center and the Korea Heritage Agency.

The name "Donggwol," meaning "Eastern Palaces," was given to the pair of palaces during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) as they were situated to the east of Gyeongbok Palace, the primary royal palace. The 110-minute tour will offer a combination of guided visits to both palaces along with the opportunity to freely explore their rear gardens.

Participants will be led by guides who will play the role of court painters from Dohwaseo, the royal bureau of painting in the Joseon era. They will guide the audience through the major halls of Changgyeong Palace and the rear garden of Changdeok Palace.

Throughout the tour, four stages will feature short plays depicting historical figures associated with each site. In the free-viewing period, participants will have the freedom to move through Yeongchunmun, a gate that separates the rear gardens of the two palaces.