Peruse Seoul's palaces during the K-Royal Culture Festival

Korean Heritage

Published: 25 Apr. 2023, 12:19

Peruse Seoul's palaces during the K-Royal Culture Festival

A scene from a previous run of the musical "Sejong 1446." HJ Culture, its production company, said April 19 that it would hold four shows from April 29 to May 2 at Geunjeong Hall in Gyeongbok Palace as part of K-Royal Culture Festival. [HJ CULTURE]

Not many would disagree that spring is the best time of year to visit the royal palaces in Seoul. Filled with greenery and blooming with flowers that flutter in the breeze, this particular season invites guests to don a colorful hanbok (Korean traditional dress) and take a stroll while enjoying the beauty of Korean history.

Just in time for spring, the K-Royal Culture Festival will run from April 29 to May 7 across all five palaces in Seoul, Jongmyo Shrine and the Sajikdan altar in central Seoul.

Seoul is home to Gyeongbok Palace, Changdeok Palace, Deoksu Palace, Changgyeong Palace and Gyeonghui Palace, all of which were built during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).

The festival is a biannual event jointly hosted by the Cultural Heritage Administration’s Royal Palace and Tombs Center and the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation.

This year, it will celebrate the Changgyeong Palace retrieving its original name 40 years ago with a parade on Friday at 2 p.m. During the Japanese colonial rule (1910-45), the palace was renamed Changgyeong Park as the Japanese had built a zoo, garden and museum on the site. It was only after relocating the zoo to its current location in Seoul Grand Park, situated in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi, that it was able to regain its original name and identity as a palace in 1983.

A wide variety of events are scheduled throughout the duration of the festival, including a musical, music performances and hands-on programs.

Gyeongbok Palace’s Geunjeong Hall will host its first musical, “Sejong 1446,” from April 29 to May 2. The show follows King Sejong (1397-1450), who is credited with having created the Korean alphabet system, hangul.

Although most tickets for the musical have already been sold out, other events that do not require reservations in advance, like parades, will be held almost every day during the festival.

“We’re also making sure that foreign visitors can enjoy the festival through our audio guidebooks, and we’re making sure that they will be able to partake in our programs as well,” said Lee Jae-won, director for this edition of the festival. “It’s important to bring our royal palaces to the global scale because I’ve noticed that the number of foreign visitors tend to overwhelmingly surpass that of Koreans.”

The schedule for K-Royal Culture Festival is available at chf.or.kr/fest.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]