A performance offering a rare look at a state ritual once performed by royal women of the Joseon Dynasty will take place at Jongmyo Shrine later this month.
The Korea Heritage Service said it will present the 2026 “Jongmyo Myohyeollye” program over three days from April 25-27.
Myohyeollye was a court ceremony in which a newly married queen or crown princess formally paid her respects at Jongmyo, the royal ancestral shrine housing the spirit tablets of past kings and queens. It was the only state rite of the Joseon period in which women took part at Jongmyo.
A centerpiece of the program is the original musical “Myohyeollye: The Queen's Royal Rite,” which reimagines the 1703 ceremony of Queen Inwon, the third consort of King Sukjong. The production explores the tension between rigid court protocol and personal emotion, alongside the shifting relationship between the queen and her father, who can no longer treat her as he once did after she becomes queen.
Performances will be staged twice daily, at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., with each show accommodating up to 350 audience members. Of those, 200 seats will be available through advance online booking and 150 through on-site registration.
To improve accessibility, smart glasses will be provided for audience members with hearing impairments and for foreign visitors, with 10 devices available for Korean and 30 for English subtitles.
Advance reservations will open at 2 p.m. on Tuesday via Ticketlink on a first-come, first-served basis. Admission to the event is free, although a separate entry fee applies for access to Jongmyo Shrine.
hwangdh@heraldcorp.com
