A refrigerator including an ice duct opening and closing mechanism, comprising: a funnel that is fastened to a freezer body of the refrigerator; a duct cap that is movable between open and closed positions to open and close an ice duct formed in the refrigerator; a rotating shaft that is rotatably supported by the funnel and has a connection portion; a lever that is operably coupled to the duct cap to move the duct cap between the closed and open positions, the lever including a vertical bar to be pressed backward by a user, a rotating shaft connection bar connected to the connection portion of the rotating shaft, and a joint member connection bar; a spring that biases at least one of the lever and the rotating shaft such that the duct cap tends to rotate to the closed position; a micro switch that is switched by the lever; a joint member that is rotatably coupled to an end of the joint member connection bar such that the joint member moves as the duct cap moves; and a frictional member disposed to come in frictional contact with the joint member as the joint member moves, wherein friction developed between the frictional member and the joint member acts to delay a closing operation of the duct cap, characterized in that the refrigerator further comprising an elastic member coupled between the joint member connection bar and the joint member, wherein the elastic member is arranged to bias the joint member in a first rotational direction, the elastic member extending from the end of the joint member connection bar, pressing the joint member, wherein the joint member is arranged, when the duct cap moves from the closed to the open position, to rotate in a second rotation direction compressing the elastic member by the contact between the joint member and the frictional member, and wherein the joint member is arranged, when the duct cap moves from the open to the closed position, to rotate in the first rotational direction by the friction between the joint member and the frictional member. a funnel that is fastened to a freezer body of the refrigerator; a duct cap that is movable between open and closed positions to open and close an ice duct formed in the refrigerator; a rotating shaft that is rotatably supported by the funnel and has a connection portion; a lever that is operably coupled to the duct cap to move the duct cap between the closed and open positions, the lever including a vertical bar to be pressed backward by a user, a rotating shaft connection bar connected to the connection portion of the rotating shaft, and a joint member connection bar; a spring that biases at least one of the lever and the rotating shaft such that the duct cap tends to rotate to the closed position; a micro switch that is switched by the lever; a joint member that is rotatably coupled to an end of the joint member connection bar such that the joint member moves as the duct cap moves; and a frictional member disposed to come in frictional contact with the joint member as the joint member moves, wherein friction developed between the frictional member and the joint member acts to delay a closing operation of the duct cap, characterized in that the refrigerator further comprising an elastic member coupled between the joint member connection bar and the joint member, wherein the elastic member is arranged to bias the joint member in a first rotational direction, the elastic member extending from the end of the joint member connection bar, pressing the joint member, wherein the joint member is arranged, when the duct cap moves from the closed to the open position, to rotate in a second rotation direction compressing the elastic member by the contact between the joint member and the frictional member, and wherein the joint member is arranged, when the duct cap moves from the open to the closed position, to rotate in the first rotational direction by the friction between the joint member and the frictional member.