The city of Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, kicked off the 63rd Suwon Hwaseong Cultural Festival on October 4 with a grand procession themed "K-Culture Road" featuring King Jeongjo's procession.
The procession began at Nosongji, the starting point in Suwon, where Prime Minister Chae Je-gong welcomed King Jeongjo. It departed from Suwon Sports Complex at 3:30 PM and headed towards Jang-an Gate.
Mayor Lee Jae-jun participated in the procession alongside citizens from Jang-an Gate to Haenggung Plaza. The event concluded with a performance marking King Jeongjo's entrance at Haenggung Plaza.
This year, 1,200 citizens participated in the parade, which included 60 horses and over 1,000 participants, recreating King Jeongjo's journey from 1795. The route from Suwon Sports Complex to Haenggung Plaza was packed with spectators cheering enthusiastically. Restaurants in the nearby alleys and the fried chicken street were also crowded with long lines of patrons.
A finale performance took place at Haenggung Plaza, featuring the fusion traditional music band Artkudo, the Pyeongtaek Gukmadang, and the dance crew Team Honey J. Participants and spectators joined in a communal celebration to conclude the event.
Mayor Lee stated, "Suwon Hwaseong and King Jeongjo are historical and cultural assets representing Suwon and Korea. We plan to elevate the historical narrative of the journey from Changdeokgung Palace in Seoul to Yungneung, which took place 230 years ago, into a global tourism content."
He added, "In line with the Year of Visiting Suwon, we will transform King Jeongjo's procession into a K-Culture Road. We aim to collaborate with seven cities between Seoul and Suwon to integrate each city's representative festivals and tourism content, creating a festival that attracts visitors from around the world to South Korea."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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