Applications open through Wednesday on the official website; one guest per registrant allowed
Embassy and historic education facility tours, lectures and guided programs on offer; Jeongdong Yahaeng set for Oct. 30–31 under the theme 'Jeongdong, Dressed in New Light'
Seoul's Jung-gu is accepting advance reservations through Wednesday for nine programs at the Jeongdong Yahaeng festival, set to run Oct. 30–31.
Participants will have the rare chance to explore embassies and modern historical and cultural facilities that are normally off-limits to the public, and to discover the stories woven throughout the Jeongdong neighborhood up close. A range of hands-on programs will also be available during the festival on a walk-in basis, with no reservation required.
The programs open for advance booking are: a lecture by feng shui researcher Park Seong-jun titled "Illuminating My Fortune in Jeongdong" (Oct. 31, 4 p.m.); a tour of the British Embassy in Seoul (Oct. 31, at 2 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 3 p.m.); Pai Chai Hakdang History Museum's "Jeongdong Banquet XR Experience: A Time Journey with Appenzeller" (Oct. 30–31, 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.) and "Modern Boy Kim So-wol's Journey to Jeongdong" (Oct. 31, 10 a.m. and noon); a tour of the Canadian Embassy in Seoul (Oct. 30, 4 p.m.); an interior tour of Ewha Girls' High School (Oct. 30–31, 6 p.m.); and "Let's Go Around Jeongdong Together."
Applications can be submitted through the official Jeongdong Yahaeng website, and anyone interested is welcome to apply. Each applicant may register one additional guest, and 30 percent of spots in each program are reserved for Jung-gu residents. Participants will be selected by lottery, with results posted on the website and sent to individuals on Oct. 19.
Known as an "open-air museum," Jeongdong is where pivotal moments in Korea's modern history unfolded — including the royal refuge at the Russian legation and the proclamation of the Korean Empire. In the late 19th century, diplomats and missionaries settled in the area, bringing Western culture with them; it was also home to the Gorshaki shop, the earliest recorded venue to sell coffee in Korea.
Jeongdong Yahaeng was launched in 2015 as Korea's first cultural heritage night festival, created to bring this rich historical legacy to wider audiences. Cumulative attendance reached 1.26 million through last year, and in 2024 the festival won a silver award in the video and media category at the Korean edition of the Pinnacle Awards — often called the "Olympics of festivals" — marking its fifth Pinnacle Award win overall. This year's edition takes the theme "Jeongdong, Dressed in New Light," showcasing the neighborhood's history alongside its new appeal.
Jung-gu plans to build on the festival's momentum by developing Jeongdong into a permanent nighttime destination. The district will install landscape lighting at 19 historic and cultural sites and streetscapes to highlight the area's tranquil atmosphere and the character of its architecture, while also improving pedestrian infrastructure for comfortable evening strolls.
"Jeongdong Yahaeng has grown year after year with the interest and participation of more and more residents, and it has become Jung-gu's signature festival," Jung-gu District Mayor Kim Gil-seong said. "We have prepared a rich lineup of spaces and hidden stories of Jeongdong that are hard to encounter in everyday life, so I hope many people will take an interest in the advance reservation programs."
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