The Cultural Heritage Administration said Monday that it was leasing three halls of Joseon-period palaces in Seoul for private gatherings through Oct. 31.

The three venues are Hamhwadang and Jipgyeongdang, where the king received foreign envoys, in Gyeongbokgung Palace and Gajeongdang, a building the king and his queen used for rest and leisure.

“The openings will widen the public’s access to the palaces, our cultural heritage. Since Hamhwadang and Jipgyeongdang and Gajeongdang were used for various ceremonies in the past, we thought restoring their original function without damaging the historic value of the facilities would better suit the goal of healthier preservation,” the administration said in a press release.

Those who wish to use the venues should apply at www.e-minwon.go.kr. The first 60 minutes of use will cost 500,000 won in advance. Each additional hour costs 250,000 won per hour. An admission fee for the palace will be charged for those attending the event.

In order to minimize possible damage to the facilities, the authorities will allow only finger food, coffee, tea and water to be served.

The decision came six years after former CHA chief Yoo Hong-joon resigned following criticism for hosting parties at the tomb of Prince Hyoryeong (1396-1486) of Joseon and allowing alcohol consumption at Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung palaces at the welcome dinner for the participants of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers’ congress in Seoul.

Yoo recently called for a “careful and wiser use” of cultural heritage saying, “I believe that buildings are buildings when they are visited by people and used by them.”

“We are aware of the concerns but the three halls open to public use have been renovated with electricity facilities for small meetings. The program will be carefully screened and monitored to prevent any mishaps and we believe that it will pose minimum damage to the buildings,” said Lee Geun-young, a CHA official.

By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)