2,642 Socially Disadvantaged Individuals Participate in Mobile Palace Experience Program

'2025 Palace, Adding Wheels' event scene. Provided by the Cultural Heritage Administration, Bureau of Palaces and Royal Tombs

The Bureau of Palaces and Royal Tombs under the Cultural Heritage Administration announced on the 23rd that, together with the National Heritage Promotion Agency, it had concluded the 'Palace, Adding Wheels' event for 2,642 socially disadvantaged individuals from August 25 to September 17.

This event is a mobile palace experience program that brings palace attractions, food, and entertainment directly to socially disadvantaged groups who have difficulty visiting palaces. Since its launch in 2021, a total of 8,439 people from 135 institutions nationwide have participated as of this year.

This year, for the first time, participating institutions were recruited mainly in Incheon Metropolitan City and Gyeonggi Province. Starting at Korea Advanced School in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province on August 25, the program visited 13 special schools in Anyang, Paju, Bucheon, Ilsan, and other locations. In celebration of the 80th anniversary of Liberation, it also visited the Veterans Welfare Center operated by the Veterans Welfare Corporation.

The program was themed 'Gyeongbokgung Starlight Night Tour.' All participants watched a video tour of the northern buildings of Gyeongbokgung Palace (including Jibokjae) and a play centered on 'Jang Gomama and Food (Jang).'

Depending on the characteristics of each institution, participants could choose two out of three programs: the 'Performance Type,' featuring court dance and traditional Korean music performances; the 'Educational Type,' involving learning about imaginary animals using a sticker book; and the 'Experience Type,' which included making mother-of-pearl fans.

At the Veterans Welfare Center, there were performances of court dance and traditional Korean music, and a 'Doseok Surasang'-a recreation of royal cuisine in a lunchbox format-was provided.

The Bureau of Palaces and Royal Tombs and the National Heritage Promotion Agency stated, "We will gradually expand the regions and groups eligible to participate so that everyone in the country can enjoy the traditional culture of the palaces."