Independence festival at Gyeongbokgung, Deoksugung

A festival celebrating 70 years of Korean independence from Japanese colonial rule will take place at the Gyeongbokgung and Deoksugung palaces from Aug. 13-30.

From Aug. 13-15, the Gyeonghoeru Pavilion inside Gyeonbokgung Palace will see a nighttime performance featuring “seonyurak,” a royal court dance from the Joseon Dynasty; “ohgomu,” a glamorous dance performed with five Korean drums; “buchaechum,” a fan dance; and performances by gugak -- Korean traditional music -- artists. The show will be directed by Korean dance expert Guk Su-ho, and available only to those who have booked Gyeonghoeru Pavilion’s nighttime tour -- available from Aug. 12-18 -- in advance.

Over at Deoksugung Palace, the Seokjojun Hall -- which was restored and reopened as a historical museum in 2014 -- will feature a media facade installation on one of its walls. Directed by professor Kim Hyung-soo of Yonsei University, the facade will highlight the historical locality and architectural traits of Seokjojun Hall.

The palace’s Hamnyeongjeon Hall -- once King Gojong’s sleeping quarters -- is the venue for the gugak concert “Deoksugung Pungnyu,” which will see its 100th installment on Aug. 20. Intangible cultural assets Ahn Suk-seon and Lee Saeng-ang, who specialize in “pansori” music and the bamboo flute “daegeum,” respectively, will be performing alongside many other notable figures in gugak.

Lastly, the Jeonggwanheon, or king’s lounge, will see talks by a number of experts on the gradual modernization of Korean literature, fashion, history, film and pop music. The talks will held Aug. 25-26 and Aug. 28-30, and can be reserved at the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation website, www.chf.or.kr.

By Rumy Doo (bigbird@heraldcorp.com)