From the Ceremony to the Musical... Join 'A Day with Sejong' Together

Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Prepares Performances and Experience Events on April 14-15 to Commemorate the 627th Birthday of King Sejong the Great

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will hold 'A Day with Sejong' over two days from the 14th at Gyeongbokgung Palace and Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. The event features various performances and experiential activities to commemorate the 627th birthday of King Sejong (May 15).

Statue of King Sejong installed at Gwanghwamun Square, Jongno-gu, Seoul. / Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

On the first day, the 'Sejong Ido Birthday Ceremony' will take place at Sujeongjeon Hall in Gyeongbokgung Palace, the former site of Jiphyeonjeon. The National Gugak Center’s Jeongak Orchestra and Dance Troupe will perform court music and dances referencing the rites of Gilrye (吉禮) from the Annals of King Sejong, including the court music Haeryeong (解令), and the court dances Yeominrak (與民樂) and Bongraeui (鳳來儀). Additionally, the court music pieces Chihwapyeong (致和平) and Chwipunghyeong (醉?亨), which were created during King Sejong’s era but lost over time, will be restored and performed using artificial intelligence (AI).

A Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism official explained, "We applied a deep neural network-based model to learn the evolution of 'Yeominrak' and used optical recognition technology to generate the flute melody from Jeongganbo musical notation. Based on this, melodies for daegeum, haegeum, ajaeng, gayageum, and geomungo were created."

The ministry will also present a calligraphy performance reflecting on the meaning of 'Saengsaengjirak' (living a fulfilling life through work and enjoyment), which King Sejong aspired to achieve. In addition, a pansori singer will convey the contents of King Sejong’s published books such as 'Samgang Haengsildo,' 'Hyangyak Jipseongbang,' and 'Yongbieocheonga,' and a musical will depict King Sejong’s life and achievements.

Yoo In-chon, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, who announced his attendance, said, "This is an opportunity to deeply reflect on and practice the joy of 'Saengsaengjirak,' a world King Sejong dreamed of, where 'I live and others live too.' I hope the spirit of creativity will not remain in the past but will be revived and shine into the future."

On the same day, at Yeongchumun Gate, Sujeongjeon Hall, and around Gyeonghoeru Pavilion in Gyeongbokgung Palace, a pre-registered exhibition and experiential event titled 'Sejong Captured in a Day' will be held. Visitors who receive a hopae (Joseon-era identification tag) at the entrance of Yeongchumun can appreciate King Sejong’s birth and achievements during his reign. They can also experience the atmosphere of the king from a life-sized royal throne.

On the second day, an academic conference titled 'The World King Sejong Dreams of, Spoken Through Books' will be held at the Circle Hall of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts Academy. Presentations will focus on King Sejong’s Hunminjeongeum, scholarship, music, and education, and will revisit the premium metal movable type 'Gapinja' and the 'Samgang Haengsildo,' published to raise the consciousness of the people.

Various events will also take place nationwide to celebrate King Sejong’s birthday. These include 'Today, with King Sejong!' at the National Hangeul Museum, the 'Foreign Dictation Contest' by the National Institute of the Korean Language, commemorative events in Sejong Special Self-Governing City, and outreach education in Daejeon Metropolitan City. Additionally, 248 Sejong Institutes in 85 countries worldwide will hold Korean speaking and writing contests to spread King Sejong’s achievements.