Jeongjo royal procession reenacted on 31.8km route from Seoul to Hwaseong
Version 2: New reporting adds Hwaseong city's account of the accompanying Jeongjo Hyo Culture Festival, which it said ran on Oct 3-4 with a first-ever robot parade, about 800 citizens in the second day's procession, a roughly 400-person night procession and a 1,000-drone light show, along with Mayor Jeong Myeong-geun's comments on developing the event.
In short
The reenactment of King Jeongjo's royal procession was held on Oct 4, 2026, setting out from Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, passing along Sejong-daero and following a 31.8 km route to Yungneung in Hwaseong, co-hosted by Seoul, Gyeonggi Province, Suwon and Hwaseong. About 700 pre-registered citizens walked the Seoul section, from the city centre to Nodeul Island. Hwaseong city said its Jeongjo Hyo Culture Festival ran Oct 3-4, with a robot parade leading the procession for the first time and about 800 citizens joining the second day's march through Dongtan and Hwanggye-dong.
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The “2026 Jeongjo the Great Royal Procession joint reenactment” was held on Oct 4, 2026, setting out from Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul and passing along Sejong-daero, according to Newsis, the Kyunghyang Shinmun, the Seoul Shinmun and the Dong-A Ilbo. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
The Kyunghyang Shinmun reported that the event recreates King Jeongjo's 1795 Eulmyo-year journey, an eight-day trip in which the 22nd Joseon king travelled with his mother, Lady Hyegyeong Hong, to Yungneung, the tomb of his father Crown Prince Sado. The outlet said the procession followed a 31.8 km route from the Gyeongbokgung departure ceremony through Nodeul Island and Geumcheon-gu Office, then through the Anyang and Suwon sections to Yungneung, and that it was co-hosted by the Seoul city government, Gyeonggi Province, Suwon city and Hwaseong city. About 700 citizens who had registered in advance joined the Seoul section, walking for roughly two hours from the city centre to Nodeul Island, and a Bongsan mask dance gilnori was performed between the Sookmyung Women's University entrance and Yongsan Station, the newspaper said. [ 3 ]
The Dong-A Ilbo also reported that this year's event covered the 31.8 km from Gyeongbokgung Palace to Yungneung in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, and that it recreated Jeongjo's 1795 journey to Hwaseong. [ 5 ]
Hwaseong city said the accompanying “2026 Jeongjo Hyo Culture Festival and Jeongjo the Great Royal Procession” ran on Oct 3-4 at Jeongjo Hyo Park and around Yungneung. A robot parade appeared at the head of the procession for the first time, the city said, and about 800 citizens joined the second day's march, which ran through Dongtan and Hwanggye-dong to Jeongjo Hyo Park alongside a large figure of King Jeongjo, a filial piety parade group, children's procession groups from Annyeong and Hakdong elementary schools, and citizen and foreign resident groups. The city said about 400 citizens took part in a first-day night procession recreating the moving of Crown Prince Sado's tomb to Hyeonryungwon, with butterfly drones and a peach blossom flower offering, and that the opening ceremony presented filial piety awards and staged a musical, “The King's Road”, and a light show using 1,000 drones. [ 6 ]
Hwaseong Special City Mayor Jeong Myeong-geun said “the spirit of communication and innovation for the people that King Jeongjo dreamed of is in line with the future Hwaseong Special City aims for”, and that the city would create a dignified festival citizens could take pride in. He also said the festival goes beyond a simple historical reenactment to carry on Jeongjo's filial devotion and care for the people as today's values, and that the city would develop it as a representative historical and cultural city and a future high-tech city. [ 6 ]
The Korea Economic Daily published a photo report on the procession in central Seoul; its article text did not address the event, covering separate labour and wage topics. The Seoul Shinmun's document carried only a headline. The documents do not state whether the procession covered the full 31.8 km or give a total number of participants. [ 1 , 4 ]
Why it matters
The procession and the accompanying festival are joint undertakings of the Seoul city government, Gyeonggi Province, Suwon city and Hwaseong city, according to the Kyunghyang Shinmun and Hwaseong city. Hwaseong Special City Mayor Jeong Myeong-geun framed the event as more than a historical reenactment and as something the city intends to develop further, tying it to Hwaseong's identity as a historical and future high-tech city. The documents give no visitor figures beyond the participants, so significance outside Korea is mainly cultural and local.
Key facts
- The “2026 Jeongjo the Great Royal Procession joint reenactment” was held on Oct 4, 2026, beginning with a departure ceremony at Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- The procession passed along Sejong-daero in central Seoul. [ 2 , 4 , 5 ]
- The event reenacts King Jeongjo's 1795 Hwaseong journey to Yungneung, the tomb of his father Crown Prince Sado. [ 3 , 5 ]
- The Kyunghyang Shinmun reported the route ran 31.8 km from the Gyeongbokgung departure ceremony through Nodeul Island, Geumcheon-gu Office, Anyang and Suwon to Yungneung, and that the event was co-hosted by Seoul city, Gyeonggi Province, Suwon city and Hwaseong city. [ 3 ]
- About 700 citizens who had applied in advance joined the Seoul section, walking for about two hours from the city centre to Nodeul Island, and Bongsan mask dance gilnori was performed between the Sookmyung Women's University entrance and Yongsan Station. [ 3 ]
- Hwaseong city said the Jeongjo Hyo Culture Festival and royal procession were held on Oct 3-4 at Jeongjo Hyo Park and around Yungneung, with a robot parade leading the procession for the first time and about 800 citizens joining the second day's march through Dongtan and Hwanggye-dong to Jeongjo Hyo Park. [ 6 ]
- Hwaseong city said about 400 citizens joined a night procession on the first day recreating the moving of Crown Prince Sado's tomb, with butterfly drones and a peach blossom flower offering. [ 6 ]
- Hwaseong Special City Mayor Jeong Myeong-geun said the city would develop the event into a festival carrying on King Jeongjo's spirit of communication and innovation and make it a dignified festival citizens could take pride in. [ 6 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- A reenactment of King Jeongjo's royal procession was held on Oct 4, 2026, setting out from Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- The event was titled the “2026 Jeongjo the Great Royal Procession joint reenactment”. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The procession moved along Sejong-daero. [ 2 , 4 , 5 ]
- The route covered 31.8 km from Gyeongbokgung Palace to Yungneung in Hwaseong. [ 3 , 5 ]
- The event recreates King Jeongjo's 1795 Hwaseong journey. [ 3 , 5 ]
Still unclear
- Whether the procession covered the full 31.8 km route on the same day The documents give the route length and the Seoul walking section but do not say whether the full distance was completed or when the event ended.
- How many people took part in total Only section figures are given: about 700 in the Seoul section from one outlet, about 800 on the second day and about 400 in the night procession in Hwaseong from another; the documents give no overall figure and do not say how the groups relate.
- How the Seoul procession and Hwaseong's second-day march fit together The Kyunghyang Shinmun describes a walking section from central Seoul to Nodeul Island, while Hwaseong city describes a march through Dongtan and Hwanggye-dong to Jeongjo Hyo Park; the documents do not state whether these were separate segments of one route.
- Details from the Korea Economic Daily report Its article text does not address the procession, covering separate labour and wage topics; the outlet's link to the event appears only in a photo title, making it a single, limited source.
- Details from the Seoul Shinmun report The document contains only the headline, with no summary or article text, so no specifics can be drawn from it.
- Hwaseong city said the Jeongjo Hyo Culture Festival and royal procession were held on Oct 3-4 at Jeongjo Hyo Park and around Yungneung. Reported by a single source so far
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- The Korea Economic Daily publishes a photo report on the Jeongjo procession in central Seoul. [ 1 ]
- Newsis publishes photographs of the departure ceremony at Gyeongbokgung Palace and the procession passing along Sejong-daero. [ 2 ]
- The Kyunghyang Shinmun reports the 31.8 km route, the four co-hosting local governments and the roughly 700 citizens who walked the Seoul section. [ 3 ]
- The Seoul Shinmun publishes a photo item on the procession from Gwanghwamun to Hwaseong. [ 4 ]
- The Dong-A Ilbo reports the procession ran 31.8 km from Gyeongbokgung to Yungneung in Hwaseong on Oct 4. [ 5 ]
- Asia Economy reports Hwaseong city's account of the Oct 3-4 Jeongjo Hyo Culture Festival, including the robot parade, participation figures and the mayor's remarks. [ 6 ]