Korea Heritage Service’s Administrator Heo Min (right) directing the precautionary relocation of key artefacts at the National Palace Museum of Korea in Seoul on Jan 23, after a predawn fire at the site. - Yonhap/The Korea Herald/ANN
SEOUL: A small pre-dawn fire at the National Palace Museum of Korea briefly raised alarms over the safety of nearly 90,000 royal artefacts, including eight National Treasures, authorities said.
Smoke was detected around 2.38am local timevon Friday (Jan 23) in a basement mechanical room, according to the Cultural Heritage Administration and local fire officials. A duty officer confirmed the situation via CCTV and alerted firefighters six minutes later.
The blaze, believed to have been caused by an overheated humidifier connected to the museum’s air-handling system, extinguished itself within minutes.
No injuries or damage to artifacts were reported, though some equipment in the mechanical room was burned.
Fire crews completed on-site checks and withdrew at about 4.40am.
Opened in 2005, the National Palace Museum houses royal collections from the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1897) and the Korean Empire (1897-1910), including 336 Treasures and 766 Unesco-listed archival items. It sits within the grounds of Gyeongbokgung, one of Korea’s most visited heritage sites.
Museum officials said they prepared to move artifacts stored in the basement’s open storage vault as smoke drifted toward the area.
Staff inspected key items as a precaution. Korea Heritage Service’s Administrator Heo Min visited the scene later in the morning to review fire-safety procedures and the condition of the holdings.
Although the collections were unharmed, public access will be restricted for now. Exhibition halls for royal paintings, court rituals and scientific instruments are located on the affected basement level.
The museum closed on Jan 23 for emergency inspection and will conduct detailed checks for any residual fire risk, especially for paper-based materials.
Heo said the agency will conduct fire-readiness reviews across all affiliated institutions, adding that protection of artifacts and visitors “will be enforced without compromise”. - The Korea Herald/ANN
