The Joseon Dynasty's Last Royal Banquet 'Iminjinyeon' Recreated After 120 Years

Reenactment of the Last Grand Banquet of the Korean Empire at Deoksugung in 1902
From August 12 to 14 at the National Gugak Center Yeaakdang

National Gugak Center_Main Performance_Im Injin Yeon_Bongrae. Photo by National Gugak Center

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] The last royal banquet of the Joseon Dynasty is being reborn after 120 years to meet audiences.

The National Gugak Center announced on the 12th that it will stage ‘Iminjinyeon,’ held in 1902, on the stage of the National Gugak Center’s Yeaakdang from August 12 to 14.

Iminjinyeon was a royal banquet held on December 7, 1902 (the 8th day of the 11th lunar month), at Gwanmyeongjeon Hall in Deoksugung Palace, commemorating the 40th anniversary of King Gojong’s enthronement. The name means a banquet (jinyeon) held in the year of Imin, and it was the last royal banquet of the 500-year Joseon Dynasty and the Korean Empire.

At the time of the banquet, King Gojong reportedly refused the requests to hold the banquet from Crown Prince (Sunjong) and civil and military officials four times, citing difficult domestic and international circumstances, before finally granting permission with instructions to minimize costs and personnel.

The banquet was divided into ‘Oejinyeon,’ an official event where the king (emperor) held a ceremony with his subjects, and ‘Naejinyeon,’ an internal royal family event attended mainly by the royal family and relatives. This performance revives the ‘Naejinyeon,’ which was more artistically well-organized, as a stage performance.

Im Injinyeon Poster. Photo by National Gugak Center

At the production press conference held at Jeonggwanheon in Deoksugung, Jung-gu, Seoul, Kim Young-woon, director of the National Gugak Center, said, “To mark this year’s Imin year, we prepared this performance centered on the Iminjinyeon of the Korean Empire, which aspired to be an independent nation, to introduce the value and meaning of royal court arts. The royal banquet was a gathering of the most sophisticated cultural arts of the time, including music, rituals, and dance.”

The National Gugak Center explained that the Iminjinyeon, which lasted all day on the 8th day of the 11th lunar month in 1902, will be condensed into a 90-minute performance. The performance is being prepared based on historical records such as the ‘Jinyeon Uigwe’ and ‘Iminjinyeondo Byeong,’ which detail the banquet.

The National Gugak Center Dance Company will present court dances including Bongraeui, Heonseondo, Monggeumcheok, Gainjeonmokdan, Hyangryeongmu, and Seonyurak. The National Gugak Center Jeongakdan will perform court music wishing for the emperor’s longevity and the nation’s peace, such as Boheoja, played when the emperor entered and exited the banquet to pray for peace and prosperity, as well as Nakyangchun, Haeryeong, Bonryeong, Sujecheon, and Heoncheonsu.

In particular, since this performance is presented in a theater, the audience seats will be set as the emperor’s throne (Eojwa), allowing the audience to view the banquet from the emperor’s perspective.

Park Dong-woo, a professor at Hongik University in charge of directing and stage design, said, “This performance is the first jinyeon in 120 years, focusing on reproduction rather than adding creative elements. We hope many audiences will deeply appreciate the beauty of royal court arts through this performance, which recreates the era of the Korean Empire and the beauty of court arts in a traditional way and is composed from the emperor’s viewpoint.”

Meanwhile, after the Yeaakdang performance in August, the National Gugak Center plans to discuss with the Cultural Heritage Administration’s Royal Palaces and Tombs Division the possibility of reenacting the Iminjinyeon held 120 years ago inside Deoksugung Palace, where the original banquet took place.

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