Seoul City to Host Jeongdong Night Tour 'Jeongdong Renaissance' on 23-24... Resuming After 3 Years

Normal Progress on the Deoksugung Stone Wall Path on an Autumn Night

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 20th that it will normalize Jeongdong Night Tour after three years on the 23rd and 24th, hosting "Jeongdong Renaissance," a nighttime program centered around Deoksugung Stone Wall Road where visitors can experience history and culture and enjoy the autumn night atmosphere.

This year’s Jeongdong Night Tour, normalized after three years due to COVID-19, is a representative nighttime event of Seoul that features various programs such as performances, exhibitions, experiences, and walk-on tours utilizing historical and cultural spaces. The event focuses on the nighttime opening of historical and cultural facilities such as cultural heritage sites, embassies, museums, and art galleries gathered in the Jeongdong area.

In particular, this Jeongdong Night Tour begins with the Royal Palace Gate Guard announcing the start of the night tour at Deoksugung, dressed in the uniform of the Daehan Empire Central Army’s protest troops, proceeding with an opening parade to Jeongdong Rotary. Meaningful performances and exhibitions unique to Jeongdong will be held in various locations including embassies and cultural facilities.

First, foreign embassies (legations) that greatly influenced the modernization of the Daehan Empire will hold various events during the night tour as part of Jeongdong. The Canadian Embassy will recreate and permanently exhibit the "Red Door," which was a motif connecting spaces to Quebec, Canada, in the drama "Goblin," at the embassy’s main gate. The U.S. Embassy will commemorate the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries by exhibiting photos of the U.S. Legation during the Daehan Empire period and the Habib House, built as the ambassador’s residence in 1971, on the sidewalk opposite the embassy.

Various events hosted by cultural heritage sites and cultural facilities in the area, which can be considered the highlight of Jeongdong Night Tour against the backdrop of Jeongdong’s historicity, will also be held. Jeongdong, known as the "Number One Place for Korea’s Modernization," is the center of modern culture and is home to historic sites, city-designated cultural properties, and registered cultural properties scattered throughout the area.

For the first time this year, Jeongdong Story Night Tour has been planned as a historical tour composed of three themes?▲Daehan Empire ▲New Culture and Technology ▲International Diplomacy?set against the backdrop of Jeongdong, and advance reservations have been made. Also, at the permanent stage for royal court dances on Deoksugung Stone Wall Road, performances that transcend Jeongdong’s history and future are prepared. Additionally, at the "Jeongdong Rest Area" in front of the Seoul Museum of Art, visitors can comfortably enjoy the tranquil atmosphere of Jeongdong by reclining on bean bag chairs and watching the "Corner to Corner Live" performances.

Experience events where families, friends, and acquaintances can all experience Jeongdong’s history will also be held. At Jeongdong Workshop located at the entrance of Jeongdong Night Tour, under the subtitle "Stone Wall Road Public Forum," calligraphy experiences will be offered. At the booth of Singer Sewing Machine Korea Headquarters, the first tenant of the Shina Memorial Hall built in the 1930s, visitors can participate in making "Daehan Empire Taegeukgi Embroidered Cup Holders" and enjoy a "Lantern Experience" that lights up Jeongdong’s night. Connected to this, at Jeongdong General Store, visitors can browse crafts imbued with the special skills of sewing designers and the Traditional and Cultural Arts Institute.

Joo Yong-tae, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Culture Headquarters, said, "The Jeongdong area was the central stage of the Daehan Empire’s modern history and is a special space with the potential to revive as the center of Korean culture." He added, "We will strive to make Jeongdong Night Tour a representative festival of Seoul by having public and private entities such as cultural facilities, schools, residents, and religious organizations in the Jeongdong area work together so that many citizens can feel the unique atmosphere and historical authenticity of Jeongdong."

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