Joint Hosting of Royal Procession of King Jeongjo Appears Difficult

The reenactment of the ‘Royal Procession of King Jeongjo’ that was expected to be jointly hosted by Seoul, Gyeonggi Province, and Suwon appears likely to be held this year as part of Suwon City’s Hwahongmun Cultural Festival alone, as local governments have failed to reach agreement on event timing and other implementation matters.

According to Suwon City, Gyeonggi Province, and Seoul, local government officials held their first meeting in early January regarding the joint hosting of the ‘Royal Procession of King Jeongjo.’

They had agreed on a broad framework to jointly host the ‘Royal Procession of King Jeongjo’ with the government, local governments, and cultural organizations.

However, Suwon Mayor Kim Yong-seo stated, “Seoul is planning the ‘Royal Procession of King Jeongjo’ for May, while Suwon is scheduled to hold it in October as originally planned,” expressing the position that “joint hosting is difficult.”

Meanwhile, Gyeonggi Province announced in mid-January that it would elevate the Royal Procession of King Jeongjo from a local cultural festival to a world-class cultural event, promote the Hwaseong Fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and benefit the regional economy, stating it would “jointly reenact it in May as part of the ‘Hi Seoul Festival’ with the Cultural Heritage Administration, Seoul, and Suwon.”

The province also revealed plans to “reenact the original route from Changdeokgung Palace in Seoul through the Han River pontoon site~Noryang Royal Pavilion site~Siheung Royal Pavilion site~Anyangman Bridge in Anyang~Anyang Royal Pavilion site~Sagun Royal Pavilion site~Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon~Yungneung, totaling 63.2 kilometers.”

However, more than a month has passed without concrete agreement or progress among Suwon, Seoul, and Gyeonggi Province following this statement of position, making it unlikely that this year’s joint reenactment of the Royal Procession will take place.
An official from the Province’s Cultural Policy Division stated, “It is established fact that Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Suwon met and ‘agreed’ on joint hosting. However, nothing has been specifically finalized.”

An official from Seoul’s Tourism Division said, “Due to delays in coordinating views on specific hosting methods, scale, timing, and other details, the joint May reenactment of the ‘Royal Procession of King Jeongjo’ that Seoul initially proposed has become difficult,” adding, “It is likely that this year, like in previous years, the ‘Royal Procession of King Jeongjo’ will be reenacted solely by Suwon in October.”

An official from Suwon’s Culture and Tourism Division stated, “To date, nothing has been specifically agreed upon, and concrete discussions have not progressed, so there is nothing to announce regarding joint hosting,” adding that Suwon officials said, “Since the three local governments have agreed on joint reenactment in broad terms, we will continue discussions on this matter going forward.”

The Royal Procession of King Jeongjo refers to the royal procession that took place when King Jeongjo, who ascended to the throne as the 22nd king of Joseon in 1776, visited the grave of his ill-fated father, Crown Prince Sado, after relocating it to Hwasan in Suwon Province (present-day Tae-an Township in Hwaseong) in 1789.