Except for some special days, the Seoul National Cemetery usually allows access to the public.

Both cemeteries were originally overseen by the Ministry of Defence until 2006, when the Daejeon National Cemetery was transferred to the Ministry of Patriots' and Veterans' Affairs (South Korea).

On June 22, 1970, three North Korean agents broke into the cemetery and planted a bomb.

[4][5] In August 2005, a visit by a North Korean delegation to the cemetery caused some anger in South Korea.

The visit not only sparked outrage among those opposed to warmer relations with the North, but also raised fears that a future delegation from the South might be expected to pay their respects to Kim Il-sung in Pyongyang.