Night palace tour offers royal cuisine, music
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Gyeongbok Palace / Yonhap
By Park Jin-hai
What would it feel like to walk through a royal palace under the moonlight and taste royal cuisine while listening to traditional Korean music?
Two of the most visited palaces, Gyeongbok Palace and Changgyeong Palace, both built during the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910), will operate popular night tour programs, Sunday.
Only 4,500 visitors can tour the historic sites each night during the third and fourth week of each month from April to September.
Tickets can be bought at ticket.auction.co.kr or ticket.interpark.com at 3,000 won for Gyeongbok Palace and 1,000 won for Changgyeong Palace. Foreigners can also buy tickets at the sites.
Night tours run from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Gyeongbok Palace is closed Tuesdays and Changgyeong Palace is closed Mondays.
Note that unlike last year, where visitors clad in hanbok, or traditional Korean clothes, were given free entry, those people should also make online reservations for free tickets.
Royal spring cuisine served at Gyeongbok Palace / Yonhap
People who want to taste royal cuisine during the night tour and listen to traditional Korean music can apply for a 50-minute-long tasting event.
To be held twice at 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. each night between April 16 and April 27, people can receive a small table of royal dishes made of fresh spring ingredients at Sojubang, the royal kitchen at Gyeongbok Palace, which was featured in the popular drama “Dae Jang Geum” that kickstarted hallyu, or the Korean wave.
They serve Korean meatball soup called wanjatang, grilled short rib patties called tteokgalbi, pan-fried sweet rice cakes with edible flowers and other royal dishes for the price of 23,000 won.
Each program can accommodate up to 60 people. Those on the program can also look around the palace without purchasing separate tickets for the night tour.
Tickets for this tasting event can be purchased at ticket.auction.co.kr and one person can buy up to four tickets.
The program’s organizer Cultural Heritage Administration plans to hold similar events in July, August and September.