Seoul City to Resume Outdoor Traditional Weddings at Unhyeongung and Namsangol Hanok Village Starting April

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 6th that it will resume traditional weddings at Unhyeongung (Historic Site No. 257) and Namsangol Hanok Village (a Seoul folk cultural property), which had been temporarily suspended due to COVID-19. Although concerns about indoor gatherings have increased due to COVID-19, traditional weddings at Unhyeongung and Namsangol Hanok Village are held outdoors, allowing relatively safe small weddings without a minimum guaranteed number of attendees.

Unhyeongung, a palace of royal culture in the late Joseon Dynasty and the site where King Gojong and Empress Myeongseong's wedding ceremony was held, offers access to both interior and exterior spaces that are usually off-limits to the general public. Norakdang at Unhyeongung was the residence of King Gojong before his ascension in 1866 and the place where Empress Myeongseong received her training as queen after the selection process called Samgantaek. It is also where the wedding ceremony of King Gojong and Empress Myeongseong took place, making it a particularly meaningful venue for traditional weddings. The space is renowned for its grandeur, with an old saying noting that "the space between Norakdang and the sky is only one ja and five chi" (a traditional Korean unit of length), reflecting the royal dignity it once embodied.

Namsangol Hanok Village is an ideal traditional wedding venue where the quiet and lush natural scenery at the foot of Namsan Mountain provides the perfect backdrop for recreating aristocratic traditional weddings, marking the couple’s first step as one bond. Weddings, historically known as Daerye (Great Ceremony), were significant and grand events. The traditional weddings at Namsangol Hanok Village are conducted in the style of the aristocracy, with the bride and groom dressed in wonsam (ceremonial robe), hwalot (bridal robe), and samogwandae (official hat), symbolizing a promise of a hundred years of harmony.

The basic wedding package, which includes wedding attire rental, a ceremonial table setup, and staff support, is available for 1.1 million KRW. Namsangol Hanok Village also offers a wide range of additional services such as photography and beauty treatments for the convenience of the wedding couple, while Unhyeongung provides options for celebratory performances and use of the pyebaek room (traditional post-wedding ritual room) as additional selections.

Traditional weddings at Unhyeongung and Namsangol Hanok Village are available every weekend from April to November (excluding July and August). For more details, please visit the Unhyeongung website (www.unhyeongung.or.kr) and the Namsangol Hanok Village website (www.hanokmaeul.or.kr).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.