KOREAN NET

Participants dressed in traditional attire in May 2024 attend "Palace Newcomers," a program of the Spring K-Royal Culture Festival, at Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul's Jongno-gu District. The event featured highlights of daily palace life including royal cuisine, martial arts, dance and paintings from the time of King Sejong the Great of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). (Korea Heritage Service)

By Charles Audouin

The Korea Heritage Agency (KHA) on March 26 announced four new programs for foreign visitors to this year's Spring K-Royal Culture Festival, whose tickets went on sale the next day.

Now in its 11th year, the biannual K-Royal Culture Festival, the nation's largest celebration of Korean cultural heritage, will run from April 26 to May 4 at Seoul's five major royal palaces of Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Deoksugung, Changgyeonggung and Gyeonghuigung and Jongmyo Shrine.

From April 26-30, Gyeongbokgung will host a nighttime self-guided tour highlighting King Sejong the Great's achievements. The palace's northern area of Hyangwonjeong Pavilion, Jibokjae House and the smaller palace Geoncheonggung will be open for the first time as a region for independent viewing in the evening.

Each session can accommodate 200 visitors with an admission fee of KRW 10,000.

"Awakening the Morning Palace," a morning tour of Changdeokgung launched last year, from April 30 to May 4 will offer additional sessions exclusively for foreign visitors. The guide will be the Korea-based French celebrity Fabien Yoon, who will lead a tranquil morning walk while sharing stories of the palace in English.

Up to 40 people can attend each session at a cost of KRW 10,000 each.

Deoksugung will host from May 1-3 "The Emperor's Dining Table," a twice-daily gourmet program in English featuring dishes from the court of the Korean Empire and stories on history. Each session accommodates 20 participants with an admission fee of KRW 10,000.

A program for couples at Changdeokgung from April 30 to May 4 will allow visitors to wear Hanbok (traditional clothing), explore recommended routes inside the palace, sample royal snacks and write love letters to each other. Each session of 15 teams of two people each costs KRW 20,000 per couple.

Information on tickets and other details of the festival's programs exclusively for foreign guests are available on the Creatrip website (www.creatrip.com).

caudouin@korea.kr