National's Largest Royal Parade "Joint Recreation of King Jeongjo's Royal Procession to the Tomb" Postponed to April Next Year

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hun] Gyeonggi Province, Seoul City, Suwon City, and Hwaseong City have decided to postpone the "Joint Recreation of King Jeongjo's Royal Procession to the Tomb," the nation's largest royal parade with participation from 11 local governments, to April next year to prevent regional COVID-19 transmission and ensure visitor safety.

The "Joint Recreation of King Jeongjo's Royal Procession to the Tomb" began in 1996 with partial recreation by Suwon City, and as Seoul City and Hwaseong City participated, the event has fully recreated the entire route from Changdeokgung Palace to Yungneung, the tomb of Prince Sado, since 2017. With Gyeonggi Province joining in 2018, it has solidified itself as a successful example of a joint festival.

Following a working-level meeting of co-hosting organizations on the 6th, it was determined that hosting a large-scale event attracting massive crowds would be unrealistic in the current situation with COVID-19 unresolved. As a result, a final decision was made to postpone the "Joint Recreation of King Jeongjo's Royal Procession to the Tomb" event, originally scheduled for October this year, to April 24-25, 2021.

Next year's event will be held in April in accordance with the 1795 Eulmo royal tour schedule (lunar 2nd month) when King Jeongjo conducted the royal procession to the tomb. It will recreate the entire 59km route from Changdeokgung Palace to Suwon Hwaseong Fortress with thorough historical verification and the existing scale, showcasing the status of Korea's largest parade festival.

However, the "Suwon Hwaseong Cultural Festival" of Suwon City and the "King Jeongjo Filial Piety Cultural Festival" of Hwaseong City, which were held during the same period as the Joint Recreation of King Jeongjo's Royal Procession to the Tomb, will have different hosting arrangements and require confirmation.

The "Suwon Hwaseong Cultural Festival," which marks its 57th anniversary this year, is scheduled to be held from October 9-11 as planned in the areas around Hwaseong Haenggung according to COVID-19 circumstances, with significantly changed event directions, strict compliance with quarantine guidelines including advance reservations for all programs and social distancing.

The "King Jeongjo Filial Piety Cultural Festival" of Hwaseong City will be held for the first time inside a royal tomb in April coinciding with the "Joint Recreation of King Jeongjo's Royal Procession to the Tomb" event next year, creating a festival harmonious with the royal tomb while contributing efforts to UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage designation.

Officials from Gyeonggi Province, Seoul City, Suwon City, and Hwaseong City stated, "Following the cancellation of Gyeonggi sections due to swine fever last year, we are deeply disappointed that the event is being postponed this year as well. However, in light of the prolonged COVID-19 situation, we have decided to postpone with citizen safety as our top priority," and added, "Next year, we will prepare a safer and more spectacular event to serve the citizens."