Starting later this month, the main palace of the Joseon era (1392-1910), Gyeongbokgung in Seoul, will invite the public to sample royal cuisine while listening to court music.
From May 28 to June 5, the royal kitchen, known as “sojubang,” will invite 136 people on tours with either a royal dinner or a selection of desserts. The tours, to take place twice daily for an hour from 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., will feature royal court music playing in the background.
Participants will be able to take part in interactive programs such as making royal herbal tea, crafting coasters and playing the traditional board game yutnori. The preparation of royal desserts will be demonstrated as well.
Online registrations for the tours open at 2 p.m. Thursday via Ticketlink. Successful applicants will be announced the following Thursday on the Korea Heritage Agency website. Selected applicants can choose their time slots the following day and buy up to two tickets, priced at 25,000 won apiece.
Sojubang was torn down during Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korea Peninsula. The site was restored in 2015 following four years of restoration work. The royal kitchen is divided into three sections, responsible for preparing daily meals, meals for special days and refreshments, respectively.
siyoungchoi@heraldcorp.com
