South Korea launches music series at Joseon royal tombs in May

South Korea's royal heritage authority will launch a traditional music and expert commentary series at Joseon Dynasty royal tomb complexes in Gyeonggi Province starting May 2, the Korea Times reported Tuesday.

The "Royal Tombs Story Path with Music" series, organized by the Royal Palaces and Tombs Center, signals a broader shift in Korean heritage administration toward immersive cultural programming — a development that may draw Korean-American diaspora visitors on trips to South Korea.

The Royal Palaces and Tombs Center's Eastern District Office will open the series May 2 at Donggureung in Guri, the Korea Times reported. The complex is South Korea's largest royal tomb grouping, housing King Taejo — founder of the Joseon Dynasty — along with eight later monarchs and their consorts. The opening program connects Taejo's legacy with the Cheonsang Yeolcha Bunyajido, a 14th-century celestial map historically used as a tool of royal governance, according to the Korea Times.

The series then moves through four additional tomb complexes in Namyangju — Gwangneung, Sareung, Hongneung and Yureung — before concluding June 6, South Korea's national Memorial Day, the Korea Times reported.

Each program combines traditional gugak music performances with expert historical commentary and hands-on activities, according to the Korea Times. Visitors may participate in crafts including mother-of-pearl inlay work, embroidery and stone keepsake-making. Performers will play the geomungo, a six-string zither with origins dating to the fourth century.

Expert commentary will focus on specific historical figures at each site, including King Sejo and Queen Jeongsun, the Korea Times reported. The tomb complexes are part of a UNESCO World Heritage designation covering Joseon-era royal burial sites across the greater Seoul region.

The Joseon Dynasty governed the Korean Peninsula from 1392 to 1910. Its royal tomb sites have been maintained as public heritage spaces since the dynasty's end.

The series, organized by the Joseon Royal Tombs Eastern District Office, runs through June 6 at sites spanning Guri and Namyangju in Gyeonggi Province, the Korea Times reported.