Fire at the National Palace Museum of Korea extinguished quickly, no damage to artifacts

Firefighters put out a fire at the National Palace Museum of Korea inside Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul early on Friday, sources said, with no injuries or damage to artifacts reported.

The National Palace Museum of Korea in Jongno District, central Seoul [JOONGANG ILBO]

Firefighters put out a fire at the National Palace Museum of Korea inside Gyeongbok Palace in Jongno District, central Seoul, early on Friday, sources said, with no injuries or damage to artifacts reported.

The fire broke out at around 2:44 a.m. Friday in the museum’s basement level, according to fire authorities and the museum.

Firefighters responded after the museum reported that a fire alarm had been activated and brought the blaze under control within five minutes.

Fire authorities believe the blaze started after an underground air conditioning unit overheated. The incident caused minor damage to some mechanical equipment inside the museum but did not injure anyone.

The fire did not spread to exhibition halls or storage areas that house major artifacts from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) and the Korean Empire (1897-1910), preventing any damage to cultural heritage, authorities said.

The National Palace Museum of Korea opened in 2005 and focuses on the preservation and exhibition of royal artifacts.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY KO SEUNG-PYO [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]