Latest news with #Taejo
Korea Herald
30-04-2025
- General
- Korea Herald
Joseon royal archive home reopens to public
PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province — A museum dedicated to historical records from the Joseon era (1392-1910) has reopened following a 10-month renovation, with a focus on outreach to community. The National Museum of the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty houses the original 'Joseon Wangjo Sillok' and 'Joseon Wangjo Uigwe.' 'Joseon Wangjo Sillok' documents 472 years of Joseon's history chronologically from 1392 to 1863, highlighting the accomplishments of Joseon kings, from the first king, Taejo, to the 25th king, Cheoljong. Meanwhile, 'Joseon Wangjo Uigwe' is a detailed record of protocols designed to establish standards for Joseon rituals, laying out procedures for state and royal family events, accompanied by illustrations and explanations. Starting in 1606, copies of the annals and records of royal protocols were sent to a storage facility in Odaesan, a mountainous area north of Pyeongchang in Gangwon Province. The Japanese government took the collections out of the country in 1913 during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula. Currently, there are 75 volumes of the Odaesan edition of the annals and 82 volumes of the Odaesan edition of the protocols. The annals were all repatriated from Japan in 2017, the protocols in 2011. The museum, which opened in November 2023 showcasing some of the books, closed in July 2024 to undergo a massive renovation that includes more room for not only exhibitions, but space to connect with local communities, starting with children. The newly launched Children's Museum facilitates such outreach, said Shin Jae-keun, a museum curator who took part in the renovation. 'Children are our future; they need to find this place interesting, keep coming in and make this museum stay relevant, so we can continue to build on what we have achieved here,' Shin said of the museum's unique standing as the only venue in the country featuring both the royal annals and protocols. Digital games using animals found in the annals would make learning about them more approachable, Shin added. The Children's Museum plans to collaborate with local kindergartens and elementary schools in running educational programs at a dedicated space in the museum. The museum's top priority now is to build an underground storage facility staffed by preservation experts. The project will take at least five years to complete, according to the museum. Underground facilities are best to guard against wildfires, which the museum says are the biggest natural threats posing irreparable harm to the Joseon collections. Until construction is complete, the collection of annals and records of protocols are being kept at the National Palace Museum of Korea, a state-run museum in Seoul. Chung Yong-jae, the NPMK director, described the reopening as a turning point for the country. 'Sillok is the source of everything definitively Korean,' Chung said. The special exhibition 'The Journey to the Odaesan National History Archives,' running May 1-July 13, will feature over 40 artifacts related to Joseon.
Korea Herald
24-04-2025
- Korea Herald
More than resting place for royals
In densely populated capital, people head to royal tombs for bit of peace, light stroll A mother of two grade schoolers, Kim Moon-sook is an enthusiastic proponent of walking tours of royal Joseon tombs, some of which sit near her neighborhood in Guri, Gyeonggi Province. 'I thought, 'It's a burial site, so what could be out there to keep us occupied?' But it turns out that isn't the case,' Kim said of her recent trip to Donggureung, or the East Nine Royal Tombs, a compound of nine graves of Joseon (1392-1910) kings and queens. 'The vast compound is a place to clear your head. With little distractions like the usual city noise from cars and people, a walk here quiets the mind,' Kim said. Donggungreung is home to Geonwolleung, the royal tomb of King Taejo, the founder of Joseon. While Geonwolleung is a traditional Joseon royal tomb, a Korea Heritage Service official said the silver grass covering the mound is unique among the 40 Joseon royal tombs spread across Seoul and Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces. King Taejo wanted to be buried with the silver grass from his hometown of Hamhung, South Hamgyong Province, in today's North Korea. In 2009, UNESCO recognized that South Korea's 40 royal tombs 'represent a significant stage in the development of Korean and East Asian burial mounds,' designating them World Heritage Sites. Oh Jung-in, a mother of a preteen living in Seoul, hopes to cover all the royal tombs — 31 in Gyeonggi Province, eight in Seoul and one in Gangwon Province. Her motivation is education. 'To me, taking my kid out there is like a field trip,' said Oh, who has already visited every tomb in Seoul. 'I want her to have fun out there, but while taking home something that's going to last.' According to Oh, more parents of middle schoolers and younger children are now taking part in guided tours. Tombs typically offer three to four guided tours daily, which require online reservations. Guri, which oversees the East Nine Royal Tombs tours, added a fourth tour in March to meet increasing demand. In Seoul, office workers make up the majority of visitors to the Seolleung and Jeongneung Royal Tombs around weekday lunch hours. Seolleung — the royal tomb of King Seongjong, the ninth king of Joseon, and Queen Jeonghyeon — is surrounded by high-rise office buildings in Gangnam-gu, less than a 10-minute walk from Seolleung Station on Subway Line No. 2. 'I stop by to walk the trails before returning to the office,' said Kang Min-seok, a software engineer who works nearby. He was recently advised by his physician to change his sedentary lifestyle. 'It's my way of making the kind of 'tiny movements' that will get me back into shape,' Kang said, adding that he's not alone in engaging in short, low-intensity exercise hour after lunch. Min Hyun-ji, Kang's colleague, said she too takes a walk around Seolleung, calling the area 'open but secluded.' Online reservations opened this week for special guided tours running May 16-June 14 that shed light on royal processions and practices involving royal tombs. The one-day tours will cover mostly royal burial sites in Gyeonggi Province.
Korea Herald
20-04-2025
- General
- Korea Herald
Jongmyo main hall reopens after restoration
Jongmyo Jeonjeon, the main hall of the royal shrine of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), where ancestral tablets of its kings and queens are placed, was unveiled to the public Sunday after extensive restoration on the building since 2020. The Hwananje ceremony -- the returning of important relics to their original place -- kicked off at 2 p.m. in front of Changdeokgung in Seoul, where ancestral tablets ("sinju") had temporarily been placed. After a ceremonial march of 3.5 kilometers in Jongno-gu, the tablets were carried back to their original place inside the 28 royal palanquins recreated specifically for this event from historical documents on royal ceremonial protocols, according to the Korea Heritage Service. Korean traditional performances of "pungmulnori" -- also called rural music or "nongak," communal music and rituals using traditional instruments and dancing -- and masked dance drama "talchum" took place in front of Gyeongbokgung, the main palace of the Joseon era. The grand opening was to take place at 6:30 p.m., after the parade had arrived at Jongmyo. The Goyuje ceremony, a ritual addressing the gods, is to be conducted in accordance with the traditions. Some 200 pre-selected guests will take part in the Hwananje ceremony, which includes 1,100 people, escorting the royal tablets back to their resting place. "We hope that the Hwananje ceremony with the people will herald a new beginning for the newly-restored Jongmyo Jeonjeon, and that the recreation of the ceremonial traditions that continued for 600 years will serve as a link between tradition, now and the future," the Korea Heritage Service said. Jongmyo, designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1995, is known to be the oldest and most authentic royal Confucian shrine to have been preserved. It was built by Joseon's founding king, Taejo, in 1394, but was destroyed during the Japanese invasion in the 16th century. It was rebuilt in 1601 and is where the royal ancestral rituals called Jongmyo Jerye are held. Forty-nine sinju tablets of the Joseon kings and queens are placed inside the building. Jongmyo had come under what the authorities explain was the largest restoration process in its history, following the partial repair of the pillars and the roof from 1989 to 1991. All of the 70,000 roof tiles were replaced with the new ones made in accordance with traditional methods and materials, with traditional bricks replacing the cement in front of the Jeongjeon.
