Spring Royal Culture Festival Opens on 29th... Introduction of 'Gung Pass'

Special Admission Pass Introduced for Unlimited Visits to 5 Major Palaces and Jongmyo for Traditional Culture Programs

The 'Spring Royal Palace Cultural Festival,' a cultural heritage festival held at Joseon palaces, will kick off at the end of this month. The Cultural Heritage Administration's Royal Palaces and Tombs Division and the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation announced on the 18th that from the 29th of this month to the 7th of next month, a variety of traditional cultural programs will be presented at the five major palaces?Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung, Deoksugung, Gyeonghuigung?as well as Jongmyo Shrine and Sajikdan Altar.

The Royal Palace Cultural Festival is the largest cultural heritage festival in Korea. About 890,000 visitors attended last spring and fall. This year, under the theme "Today, Meet the Palace," the festival offers performances, exhibitions, and cultural experiences. The main event will begin on the afternoon of the 28th, a day before the official opening, with a parade at Changgyeonggung and an opening ceremony at Heungnyemun Gate of Gyeongbokgung. Visitors will be welcomed with performances that reinterpret traditional dances such as the fan dance and Cheoyongmu in a modern style, as well as the historical musical "Sejong 1446." A congratulatory performance by the crossover group La Poem will also be held.

During the festival from the 2nd to the 6th of next month, Changgyeonggung will host "Time Travel - King Yeongjo Opens Honghwamun" to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the restoration of its original name. This is an interactive program that reenacts the royal banquet (Eoyeonrye, 御宴禮) held by King Yeongjo of Joseon. Participants can learn about related food, painting, and dance, and watch traditional performances such as pansori, mask dance, and singers near Haminjeong Pavilion. Changgyeonggung, which was turned into a recreational park called "Changgyeongwon" during the Japanese colonial period, regained its original name in 1983.

At Gyeongbokgung, visitors can experience "Sejong 1446," a musical about the life of King Sejong. The musical expresses Sejong’s trials and his love for the people through music and dance, highlighting his determination to create Hangul despite losing his eyesight. The paid performances (10,000 to 20,000 KRW) will run from the 29th of this month to the 2nd of next month. The Royal Palaces and Tombs Division introduced the show as "offering comfort and encouragement to those weary from harsh realities through Sejong’s creativity and innovation." On Children’s Day, the 5th and 6th of next month, a "Children’s Past Exam" will be held at Heungbokjeon Hall in Gyeongbokgung. Preschoolers and lower and upper elementary students will compete in skills such as multiple-choice questions, drawing, and poetry writing.

At Changdeokgung, from the 30th of this month to the 3rd of next month, the play "Romantic Palace Ghost Theater," based on the Nakseonjaebon novels, will be presented. Nakseonjaebon refers to all the books housed in Nakseonjae Pavilion. At Deoksugung, the performances "Plum Blossom Blooming for Ten Thousand Miles" and "Palaces Loved by Artists" will be held. The former is a creative performance depicting the time of the 1900 Paris Exposition. The latter is a free concert held at Junghwajeon Hall featuring artists such as Yang Bang-ean Band, Second Moon, Kim Junsu, Ha Yoonju, Kim Mubin, and Yiruma.

Meanwhile, this year’s festival introduces for the first time a special admission ticket called the "Palace Pass," which allows unlimited visits to the five major palaces. Holders can freely enter all palaces without paying admission fees. The price is 10,000 KRW. Sales will begin at 1 PM on the 19th, limited to 1,000 tickets. For detailed information and schedules, please refer to the websites of the Royal Palaces and Tombs Division, Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation, and the Royal Palace Cultural Festival.