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Royal road trip: Participants brave rain to reenact King Jeongjo's 1795 procession to father's tomb

Published: 29 Sep. 2025, 15:51

CHO JUNG-WOO
[email protected]

Participants reenact the departure ceremony of King Jeongjo and Lady Hyegyeong during the “King Jeongjo’s Royal Parade Back to the 1795” festival at Gwanghwamun in central Seoul on Sept. 28.[YONHAP]

History lingers in every city, but in Seoul, it feels unusually close.

It lives in the palaces erected on the edges of busy boulevards and the gates that stand against the mountainous skyline, even if we pass them each day without truly feeling their weight.

On Sunday morning, that history stepped out of textbooks and television dramas, onto the rain-slicked stones of Gyeongbok Palace in central Seoul, where a royal procession of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) was brought back to life.

The autumn rain came down hard, but it did little to deter the crowd of 900. Families, groups of friends and lone participants gathered in Gwanghwamun Square, some dressed as Confucian scholars — a role they had signed up for — while others wore plastic ponchos or the light purple shirts and caps handed out by organizers. They had come to relive the grand procession of King Jeongjo (1752-1800), the 18th-century monarch remembered as an enlightened ruler and a devoted son.

More specifically, the event revives King Jeongjo’s filial journey of 1795, when he set out with his mother to honor his late father, Crown Prince Sado.

Co-hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Hwaseong city and the Gyeonggi provincial government, the reenactment festival retraced Jeongjo’s journey from Donhwamun Gate of Changdeok Palace to Yungneung in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, the tombs of his parents, Crown Prince Sado and Lady Hyegyeong.

The historic procession has been reenacted annually in Suwon, Gyeonggi, since 1996, and was expanded to Seoul and Hwaseong in 2016, turning the king’s devotion into a living tradition that continues to carry his dignity and sense of history into the present.

A drawing depicting King Jeongjo’s 1795 royal procession to Hwaseong, Gyeonggi [NATIONAL MUSEUM OF KOREA]

King Jeongjo's eight-day procession was divided into a seven-kilometer (4.35-mile) walk through central Seoul and a separate 23-kilometer route in Gyeonggi on Sunday.

Even as the rain soaked through umbrellas, participants kept their spirits up.

“My mustache itches,” one woman said with a laugh, tugging at the fake whiskers she had glued on to complete her scholar’s costume.

Participants in the “King Jeongjo’s Royal Parade Back to the 1795” festival set out from Gwanghwamun to Nodeul Island in central Seoul on Sept. 28. [CHO JUNG-WOO]

Another woman in her 30s, who came alone dressed in full scholar’s attire, said she had discovered the event on social media and joined because it seemed like a “unique experience.”

Parts of the festival, dubbed "King Jeongjo's Royal Parade Back to the 1795," were canceled because of the weather.

Horses and the royal carriage, which were to have traveled from Gwanghwamun to Nodeul Island, were left behind. Instead, only the participants marched the streets, with their umbrellas bobbing, filling the streets and carrying the spirit of the king’s journey forward.

A royal appearance

The day’s official proceedings began at 8 a.m. with the ceremonial “departure” of King Jeongjo and Lady Hyegyeong from Gwanghwamun. Traditionally, this ritual had been staged at Donhwamun of Changdeok Palace. But with Donhwamun under renovation, Sunday’s ceremony started at Gyeongbok Palace.

An announcer narrated the historical context that in 1795, Jeongjo and his mother would have departed between 5 and 7 a.m. for the long journey south. On Sunday, their modern stand-ins stepped through the palace gate, greeted by cameras and audience, before moving toward a carriage.

Jeongjo, the 22nd ruler of the Joseon Dynasty, is remembered for ushering in a cultural golden age and driving forward reform. He founded the Kyujanggak, the royal library, and drew on the ideas of scholars to promote culture-based governance.

Due to the weather, the stand-ins did not join the public parade. Instead, organizers encouraged participants to walk the seven-kilometer route from Gwanghwamun to Nodeul Island at their own pace, even recommending public transport if the conditions became too harsh.

A soaked walk through history

At 8:30 a.m., two traffic lanes from Gwanghwamun to Nodeul Island were closed as more than 900 people set out following the beat of a drum.

Without the king’s procession to lead them, the citizens became the parade.

Participants in the “King Jeongjo’s Royal Parade Back to the 1795” festival walk from Gwanghwamun to Nodeul Island in central Seoul on Sept. 28. [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

Marchers kept to orderly lines as volunteers and police guided them along the road.

“Look, we’re walking on a traffic road. When else could we do this?” one woman said, laughing.

Children skipped along beside their parents.

Some fathers turned the walk into a lesson.

“This is Namdaemun, son,” one told his child as they passed the historic gate. Parents frequently checked on their children, asking if they wanted to continue or hop on the subway to the destination.

Participants in the “King Jeongjo’s Royal Parade Back to the 1795” festival set out from Gwanghwamun to Nodeul Island in central Seoul on Sept. 28. [CHO JUNG-WOO]

“It was very cool and refreshing, thanks to the rain,” said Min Ji-ae, who joined with friends. She added that she had signed up because she loved walking and found the festival meaningful.

Though she expressed some disappointment at the cancellation of programs such as musical performances and a history lecture series, she said she was grateful for the volunteers and police officers who managed the traffic and guided walkers.

Participants pose for a photo at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul ahead of the ″King Jeongjo’s Royal Parade Back to the 1795” festival on Sept. 28. [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

The parade lasted about an hour and a half. Participants collected souvenirs before heading home, soaked but satisfied.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [[email protected]]

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Royal road trip: Participants brave rain to reenact King Jeongjo's 1795 procession to father's tomb

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