Cafe Opens to Celebrate the 627th Birthday of King Sejong
Various Events Prepared... Prizes Galore
'Birthday cafes' are events where fans celebrate an idol's birthday together. Once thought to be exclusive to celebrities, a birthday cafe was held to celebrate the 627th birthday of King Sejong the Great, drawing attention.
On the 27th of last month, a notice for the event '2024 King Sejong the Great Birthday Cafe, Tanshin Gabe' was posted on the social networking service X (formerly Twitter). This event commemorates the 627th birthday of King Sejong the Great, the 4th king of the Joseon Dynasty, and will be held over two days from the 14th to the 15th in Euljiro. The organizers expressed their intention to promote love for Hangul by referring to the birthday as 'Tanshin' (birth), the cafe as 'chatjip' (teahouse), and coffee as 'gabe'.
Until now, birthday cafes were considered the exclusive domain of celebrities, especially popular idols. Fans would rent cafes to celebrate a 'star's' birthday, fill the space with related items, and fans visiting the venue would celebrate the star's birthday through 'proof shots'?a kind of idol culture. However, this King Sejong birthday cafe is regarded as completely overturning that belief. Netizens who learned about this event responded with comments such as "A birthday cafe that can only be done in Korea," "The best purpose among all birthday cafes I've seen," "King Sejong would surely like it," "The meaning is truly wonderful," and "Congratulations on King Sejong's birthday."
The cafe offers a variety of events. Fans who come dressed in hanbok and those who bring 10,000 won in cash receive special gifts. Simply visiting the cafe allows attendees to receive paper cups engraved with King Sejong's face, resumes, civil service exam papers, picture cards (poster cards), and large envelopes. In particular, the picture cards are part of an 'Eojin Decoration' event that greatly increased participation in 'SNS proof shots.' The first 50 visitors will receive a famous cafe dessert called 'Myung-ui Heo Jun Prescription Medicine.'
Meanwhile, King Sejong the Great was born on May 15, 1397, and passed away on April 8, 1450, at the age of 52. He showed great passion for learning, reading a book until it was worn out, and mastered various fields including academics, art, music, and scholar's stones. He is regarded as a monarch with a strong spirit of love for his people among Joseon kings, and his greatest achievement was the creation of Hangul, Korea's unique language.
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