The Garden of Gratitude at Gwanghwamun Square is free to visit at any hour — the sculpture stands outdoors 63m from Gwanghwamun Station (Line 5) Exit 8, the laser show runs 20:00–24:00, and the underground Freedom Hall is open daily from 10:00.
Garden of Gratitude Seoul — What It Is and Who It Suits
| Outdoor sculpture (Light of Gratitude 23) | Open at all times |
|---|---|
| Laser / light show | 20:00–24:00 nightly |
| Freedom Hall (underground) | Mon–Thu 10:00–22:00 · Fri–Sun 10:00–23:00 |
| Closing days | None — open daily |
| Admission | Free (no fee listed) |
| Subway | Line 5, Gwanghwamun Station Exit 8, 63m |
The Garden of Gratitude is a war-memorial installation at Gwanghwamun Square that honors South Korean soldiers and the 22 UN nations that fought in the Korean War.
Its centerpiece is the sculpture ‘Light of Gratitude 23’: 23 stone pillars — one for Korea and one for each of the 22 participating nations — with the pillar height set at 6.25m, a reference to the June 25 War.
The 22 international pillars are black granite, 5.7–7m tall, placed south-to-north in order of participation, with the Korea pillar at the northernmost end.
Seven nations (Netherlands, India, Greece, Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway, Germany) donated stone already in the pillars, and five more (Sweden, Australia, the US, Thailand, Turkey) sent or pledged stone to be added to the modular pillars by the end of 2026.
If you are history-minded or already passing through Gwanghwamun Square, this takes almost no extra effort; if you expect a garden in the botanical sense, you will instead find a pillar plaza with an underground hall.
How Do I Get to the Garden of Gratitude?
Take Subway Line 5 to Gwanghwamun Station, Exit 8 — the garden is 63m from the exit.
The address is 03154 B172 Sejong-daero, Jongno-gu, Seoul, right on the square.
The city hotline is +82-2-120 if you need directions by phone.
Count on public transit — no visitor parking is confirmed in the official sources, and the square has no dedicated visitor parking listed.
For a route from your hotel, koreankorea.com’s Seoul metro route planner shows the trip by line and exit: https://koreankorea.com/seoul-metro-area-route-planner/
When Is It Open? Sculpture, Laser Show and Freedom Hall Hours
The outdoor sculpture is viewable at all times, and the site has no closing day.
On the visitseoul.net listing (checked October 4, 2026), the underground Freedom Hall is open Mon–Thu 10:00–22:00 and Fri–Sun 10:00–23:00, daily with no closing day.
| Section | Hours |
|---|---|
| Outdoor sculpture (above ground) | Viewable at all times |
| Laser/light show | 20:00–24:00 nightly |
| Freedom Hall (underground), Mon–Thu | 10:00–22:00 |
| Freedom Hall (underground), Fri–Sun | 10:00–23:00 |
| Closing days | None — open daily |
Per the same listing, the above-ground sculpture is viewable at all times, with the laser/light show running 20:00–24:00 nightly.
That gives you two different answers to ‘when is it open’ — the pillar plaza never closes, while the underground hall follows the 22:00/23:00 split.
Evening works best if you want the light show and the indoor exhibits in one visit; note that lighting times can change on national holidays, so check the official listing the day you go.
Is It Free? Fees and the Docent Tour Program
Yes — no admission fee is listed anywhere on the official listing, and viewing is treated as a public square installation, so a self-guided visit costs ₩0.
A docent (guided tour) program also runs Tuesday–Sunday 10:00–20:00, with 12 sessions daily, on a reservation basis.
Tours do not run on Mondays, but self-guided viewing of the sculpture continues any day at any time.
Whether the docent program itself charges a fee is not stated; self-guided viewing is confirmed free, and the exact reservation method (phone or website) should be checked on gwanghwamun.seoul.go.kr before you plan around a tour.
What You’ll See: the Pillars and Freedom Hall Exhibits
Above ground you walk between 23 black granite pillars along the square’s north–south axis.
Below ground, entry is across a glass bridge between the pillars; the embedded smart glass works as a large media screen when viewed from underground, streaming live footage of each of the 22 nations.
Freedom Hall has four named exhibits: a ‘Memorial Wall’ with triangular LEDs, a ‘Window of Connection’ showing June 25 War-era photos plus a live feed from New York’s Times Square, a ‘Gratitude Archiving Wall’ where you can have a virtual conversation with veterans and an AI photo booth composites your face in a veteran uniform, and a video room called ‘Stories Not to Forget’.
If you like interactive exhibits over static ones, the Archiving Wall and the photo booth are the ones that involve you directly.
How Long to Allow and What to Pair It With Nearby
The garden sits on Sejong-daero inside the Gwanghwamun Square area, so it fits into a single walk with Gwanghwamun Gate, Cheonggyecheon stream and the Sejong-ro pedestrian zone.
A daytime pass-through can be just a walk among the pillars — no booking and no fee.
An evening visit covers the 20:00–24:00 light show and the indoor exhibits, but note the hall closes at 22:00 Mon–Thu.
When I look at a place like this, I check the hours split first, because above ground (always open) and below ground (10:00–22:00 or 10:00–23:00) are two different answers.
I would visit after 20:00 for the light show and Freedom Hall, and skip a guided tour on Mondays since docent tours close then.
👉 Official visitseoul.net listing
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Sources
- what_it_is (namu.moe)
- No usable parking info within 6 months (mediaccbb.com)
- Above ground open 24h; laser 20:00-24:00; Freedom Hall Mon-T (english.visitseoul.net)
One-page summary
- Free entry, open every day, no booking needed for the outdoor sculpture.
- 63m walk from Gwanghwamun Station Exit 8 (Line 5).
- Laser show 20:00–24:00 nightly; Freedom Hall 10:00–22:00 (Mon–Thu) or 10:00–23:00 (Fri–Sun).
- Docent tours run Tue–Sun 10:00–20:00 and skip Mondays; reserve ahead for guided sessions.
- Lighting times and colors can change on national holidays — check the official listing the day you go.
FAQ
Q. Is the Garden of Gratitude in Seoul worth visiting?
If you are at Gwanghwamun Square anyway, yes — it is free, open at all hours, and 63m from the subway exit. It is a memorial plaza and underground hall, not a botanical garden.
Q. Is the Garden of Gratitude free to visit?
Yes, no admission fee is listed on the official visitseoul.net listing; self-guided viewing is free at any time. Whether docent tours charge a fee is not stated.
Q. How do I get to the Garden of Gratitude and when is it open?
Line 5, Gwanghwamun Station Exit 8, 63m. The outdoor sculpture is open at all times with the laser show 20:00–24:00; Freedom Hall is open Mon–Thu 10:00–22:00 and Fri–Sun 10:00–23:00, daily.
Q. When is the laser show at Gwanghwamun Square?
The beams fire from the pillar tops 20:00–24:00 nightly — about 6 ten-minute showings, one every half hour — though timing and colors can change on national holidays.
Q. Is there parking at Gwanghwamun Square?
No visitor parking is confirmed in the official sources — the site’s former underground parking ramp was reused for Freedom Hall. Take the subway instead.
More Seoul guides by region: https://koreankorea.com/korea-travel-by-region/
Cover photo: AI-generated illustration (granite pillars memorial) — AI-generated image, illustrative only
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