Do spaceships and palaces mix? Yang Jeong-woong balances past and future at K-Royal Culture festival.
Published: 16 Apr. 2026, 07:52
Updated: 16 Apr. 2026, 18:12
-
- JIN EUN-SOO
- [email protected]
Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI
![Yang Jeong-woong, who is directing the opening ceremony of the K-Royal Culture Festival which kicks off on April 25, poses for a photo at the Korea House's garden in central Seoul on April 15. [KOREA HERITAGE AGENCY]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/16/594a89c6-79bb-4e3e-91b4-767d749ba159.jpg)
Yang Jeong-woong, who is directing the opening ceremony of the K-Royal Culture Festival which kicks off on April 25, poses for a photo at the Korea House's garden in central Seoul on April 15. [KOREA HERITAGE AGENCY]
“Palace is from the past, but the people visiting here will be from the present time and they will all have their own visions, so I wished the ceremony to be a mix of present and future, like a spaceship inside a palace,” Yang said during a roundtable interview held Wednesday at Korea House in central Seoul.
So he built a spaceshiplike circular stage at the center of Heungnyemun’s courtyard for the opening ceremony — a rare choice in a palace setting, where square stages are typically used to echo the site’s angular architecture.
The spring edition of the biannual K-Royal Culture Festival runs for nine days starting April 25 across five palaces in Seoul and at Jongmyo Shrine. All of the festival's programs requiring reservations have already been sold out, including the opening ceremony, according to organizer Korea Heritage Agency.
![The opening ceremony of the K-Royal Culture Festival held in 2025 [KOREA HERITAGE AGENCY]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/16/abea95b1-1bbe-4507-9e83-1c14c0682cbe.jpg)
The opening ceremony of the K-Royal Culture Festival held in 2025 [KOREA HERITAGE AGENCY]
The opening ceremony, directed by Yang, will take place on the evening of April 24 inside Gyeongbok Palace in front of Heungnyemnun, the gate that comes after the main entrance Gwanghwamun under the theme of “Hyper Palace.”
“I wanted to create a performance where people around the world can converge at this traditional venue and enjoy, transcending race, age, gender and time,” Yang explained.
“I imagined what it would be like if a spaceship descends here where the future and present would meet. With eodo [path walked by the kings] at the center, we created a round-shaped stage that looks like a spaceship station and a DJ booth across from it.”
The show will be opened by Mongyudowonmu, a traditional dance inspired by the famous eponymous Joseon era (1392-1910) painting, followed by ganggangsullae, one of Korea's traditional dances, performed by rapper Woo Won-jae and a performance team from the Korea Heritage Agency. A hanbok (Korean traditional clothing) fashion show will take place against the backdrop of EDM and certified geomungo (Korean zither) performer Heo Yoon-jeong will share the stage with Choi Ho-jong from Mnet's “Stage Fighter” (2024) male dance survival show. A traditional Bongsan talchum (mask dance) will be reinterpreted by renowned dancer Aiki from Mnet's female dance survival show “Street Woman Fighter” (2021).
![The opening ceremony of 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, directed by Yang Jeong-woong [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/16/a4803046-eae6-4a7f-ba57-40dfb2fac847.jpg)
The opening ceremony of 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, directed by Yang Jeong-woong [YONHAP]
Yang is known for directing a range of large-scale performances, including the opening ceremony of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics and cultural events for the 2025 APEC summit in Gyeongju, both noted for blending traditional elements with modern artistic styles.
Striking a balance between tradition and modern elements, however, has not been a difficult task for him.
![Gungpass, a special admission pass to 2026 K-Royal Culture Festival resembling Korea's traditional lucky pouch called bokjumeoni [KOREA HERITAGE AGENCY]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/16/2a0a416a-2bd9-4f7e-b2b7-83aabbf572c0.jpg)
Gungpass, a special admission pass to 2026 K-Royal Culture Festival resembling Korea's traditional lucky pouch called bokjumeoni [KOREA HERITAGE AGENCY]
“Also, I ultimately consider tradition is connected to the present. Of course, I study about the palace and history, when I am to handle a project. But a lot of my staging begins from the premise that the past and the present are connected and I think to myself, 'what would they have done with this if they had lived in present times?',” he said.
Because the performance was to take place inside the palace, there were limits to letting run his imagination free.
“Since the show takes place inside a cultural heritage site that need to be protected, there were some restrictions such as not being able to install something close to the wall or not being allowed to install a steel structure on the eodo and so on,” he said.
“But just like I put on a drone show in a roofless stadium for the PyeongChang Olympics’ opening ceremony, when everyone was concerned about the freezing conditions, those kinds of constraints only motivate me more creatively, and I like to take on such challenges.”
Having directed the opening ceremony of the Olympics — widely considered a pinnacle for many art directors — Yang now sets his sights on a more unexpected field.
“If I have a chance, I would like to direct the opening stage of a 'League of Legends World Championship',” he said.
“I was so blown away by its scale and how hip it was. I am not a gamer, but I am extremely interested in its narratives, visuals, music and more.”
BY JIN EUN-SOO [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.
Standards Board Policy (0/250자)