Jeongdong Night Walk Festival to Be Held on Deoksugung Stone Wall Road and in Jeongdong on May 23-24

Jung-gu, Seoul to Host "The Light of Jeongdong, Embroidering the Future"
35 Historical and Cultural Sites, Including the British Embassy and National Heritage Sites, to Participate

Jeongdong Night Walk, South Korea's leading nighttime history and culture festival, will be held next month along Deoksugung Stone Wall Road and throughout the Jeongdong area. Jung-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Kim Gilseong) announced on April 24 that the 2025 Jeongdong Night Walk will take place over two days under the theme "The Light of Jeongdong, Embroidering the Future": from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on May 23, and from 2:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 24.

Opening ceremony of Jeongdong Night Walk. Provided by Jung-gu.

Jeongdong Night Walk is Jung-gu's signature festival, sharing the elegance, romance, and history of the Jeongdong area with citizens by opening historical and cultural sites at night and offering performances, exhibitions, and hands-on experiences.

This year, 35 historical and cultural sites?including embassies, museums, religious institutions, national heritage sites, art museums, and performance venues?will participate in the Jeongdong Night Walk. The festival will open with a royal palace concert in front of Junghwajeon at Deoksugung at 6:50 p.m. on May 23. Jung-gu’s honorary ambassador and pianist Daniel Lindemann, as well as singer-songwriter Sunwoo Jung-a, will perform on stage.

The "Embassy Tour," one of Jeongdong Night Walk's most popular programs, is also expected to attract high interest this year. The Embassy of Canada in Korea will host a lecture by Sean Morrissey titled "Connecting Korean and Canadian Folk Beliefs," while the British Embassy in Korea will open its doors for guided tours. Colin Crooks, the British Ambassador to Korea and a "neighbor of Jeongdong," was appointed as an honorary citizen of Jung-gu in October last year.

At Jeongdong First Methodist Church, there will be an organ and quartet performance called "Echoes of Jeongdong," as well as a brass quintet performance titled "Jeongdong in Brass." At the Seoul Anglican Cathedral, located right next to the British Embassy, a pipe organ concert will be held, and at the Salvation Army History Museum, the Salvation Army Band will perform.

At Ewha Girls’ High School Centennial Hall, history lecturer Choi Taeseong will present a talk titled "NOW. from Jeongdong," and the Ewha Museum will offer an internal tour of Ewha Girls’ High School. Paichai Academy History Museum will host a media facade concert called "Jeongdong Banquet" and a special lecture by Hwang Doojin, director of Hwang Doojin Architects. The National Land Development Exhibition Hall will feature the opera group Operaum’s performance "Romantic Jeongdong."

In addition, at Jungmyeongjeon, there will be a "Magic Juggling Performance" and a "Fusion Gugak" (Korean traditional music) concert. Street performances will take place at Jeongdong Park in front of the former Russian Legation, and the National Jeongdong Theater will open Jeongdong Madang as a small resting area for citizens during the festival.

The "Let’s Walk Around Jeongdong Together" historical commentary tour, where visitors can explore Jeongdong with cultural interpreters, will also be offered. The tour will be available in Korean, English, Chinese, and Japanese, allowing foreign tourists to deeply experience the history of Jeongdong.

Jeongdong Night Walk Promotional Poster. Provided by Junggu.

During the enlightenment period, Jeongdong was a gateway where new civilizations entered and a "hot place" where Western culture intersected with tradition. Korea’s first Western-style educational and religious institutions, such as Paichai Academy, Ewha Academy, and Jeongdong First Methodist Church, opened here. With hospitals, diplomatic missions, and hotels established in succession, Jeongdong became a window for communication with the world.

King Gojong proclaimed the Korean Empire here, nurturing dreams of national independence, while Ewha Academy students, including Yu Gwansun, duplicated the Taegukgi and the Declaration of Independence at Jeongdong First Methodist Church.

Independence activists planned for the nation’s future, and intellectuals awakened the times through education and the press. Jeongdong was a place where people preparing for a new era moved forward with aspirations for the "future." Through this festival, Jung-gu aims to once again awaken these aspirations with "light" and continue the journey toward the "future" together with citizens.

Modern historical and cultural sites in Jeongdong, such as the media facade at Paichai Academy History Museum, will be illuminated and open at night. Jeongdong-gil will feature a Deoksugung Stone Wall Road photo zone in collaboration with Euljiro Lighting District, a Cheongsachorong lantern street, and a lantern-making experience, among other activities.

About 200 local resident volunteers, known as "Night Walk Keepers," will participate directly in the preparation and operation of the festival. Along Deoksugung Stone Wall Road, more than 500 artworks submitted for the "Drawing Jeongdong" contest and "My Shining Future" messages from residents of 15 neighborhoods will be exhibited.

Additionally, the "Seven Nights" programs will light up Jeongdong’s evenings: Yaha (Night Flowers, nighttime opening of historical and cultural sites and cultural performances), Yasa (Night History, Jeongdong-gil experience programs), Yasul (Night Performances, street performances), Yaro (Night Road, historical commentary tours), Yagyeong (Night Scenery, nighttime landscapes), Yasik (Night Food, food stalls), and Yasi (Night Market, art market).

Launched by Jung-gu in 2015, Jeongdong Night Walk was Korea’s first nighttime cultural heritage festival. It was held every May and October until 2018, drawing numerous benchmarking inquiries from across the country. After being operated by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the festival returned to Jung-gu in October 2023 and has since drawn a cumulative total of 1.31 million visitors, establishing itself as Korea’s representative regional festival.

Notably, from 2015 to 2018, Jeongdong Night Walk won the Pinnacle Award?known as the Olympics of the festival world?hosted by the International Festivals & Events Association (IFEA) Korea Chapter, for four consecutive years, and last year received its fifth award.

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