Free palace entry in hanbok: what counts
한복 무료 관람: 무엇이 한복인가
The Royal Palaces and Tombs Center, which runs Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung, Deoksugung and Jongmyo, lists people wearing hanbok among the visitors who get in free (fee page, checked Sep 2026).
What counts as hanbok
Traditional and modern everyday hanbok both count. The outfit needs a top (jeogori) with a wrapped, crossover collar, plus a skirt or trousers. Ties and knots on the top do not matter, and a top without ties still counts if the collar wraps.
These do not count: a jeogori worn with jeans, a hanbok skirt or trousers worn with a T-shirt, a T-shirt style "hanbok" top, a one-piece hanbok dress without a jeogori, and a durumagi overcoat on its own. A jeogori with a wrap skirt counts, as long as the top reaches the waist.
At the gate
Walk to the entrance as you would with a ticket; staff check the outfit. The center asks for hanbok that suits a palace, without excessive exposure.
What it does not cover
The free entry is for the palace grounds. The Secret Garden (Huwon) tour at Changdeokgung is not free in hanbok: the fee page lists its own free categories, and hanbok is not one of them, so you still buy the Huwon ticket. Other separate tickets inside a palace are sold on their own terms; check the palace's page in the app for what is included.
Hanbok rental shops cluster near the palaces. Whether an outfit counts is decided by the palace staff at the gate, not by the shop, and we don't rank rental shops.
On the map
Sources
- Royal Palaces and Tombs Center, admission fees (people wearing hanbok are listed among free-admission visitors; the Huwon free list is separate and does not include hanbok)
- Royal Palaces and Tombs Center, hanbok free-admission guideline and Q&A (top with a wrap collar plus skirt or trousers; foreigners included)