The National Palace Museum of Korea [National Palace Museum of Korea Instagram]
The National Palace Museum of Korea [National Palace Museum of Korea Instagram]

The National Palace Museum of Korea has asked runners to stop using its free storage lockers to stow running gear, saying the space is reserved for museum visitors.

The museum posted a notice on its official Instagram account Thursday asking people to "refrain from storing running equipment in the museum's storage lockers."

"Visitors who have actually come to see the exhibitions are unable to use the lockers because runners and others are occupying them for extended periods to store personal belongings for outdoor exercise or other errands," the museum said. "The storage lockers are a space for museum visitors."

The notice comes as the Seochon neighborhood and Gyeongbokgung Palace area near the museum have become popular running destinations. A roughly 8-kilometer route passing through Gyeongbokgung, Cheong Wa Dae and Cheonggyecheon has gained a following among runners under the name "Daengdaeng Run." The repeated use of the museum's lockers by some runners for long-term storage of exercise equipment appears to have prompted the warning.

The museum also warned that access to the lockers and retrieval of stored items may be restricted after the 5 p.m. closing time. "We ask that storage unrelated to visiting the museum be kept to a minimum so that all visitors can use the facilities without difficulty," it said.


bbo@heraldcorp.com