* All the names of historical places are referred by National Institute of Korean History
One bright Sunday, many television shows entice people into being couch potatoes. Many people avoid doing outdoor activities and playing around. Here is a program on the last Sunday which you can enjoy your Sunday life on the center of Seoul. Seoul city and Maeil Business Newspaper hold special Gwanghwamun S-day on the last Sunday of every month.
Culture, Arts and History, Heritage along the Street
S-day represents the initials of Seoul, Sejong Belt, and Sunday. Sejong Belt is a combination of 43 cultural arts organizations and centers near Gwanghwamun Square such as Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, museums, and galleries. On that day, visitors can buy a Seoul Sunday culture pass and enjoy many performances and galleries with low prices. In the Sunday culture pass, there is one program which provides people with a famous performance for 10,000 won. Also, S-day includes four Gwanghwamun Olle1 Streets’ which are a visit to the royal palace, back to the past, a walking tour beside a stone wall street, and a walking tour beside Cheonggye stream. The Sookmyung Times took the program, visit to the royal palace on Sunday to relish a short journey to slow Seoul.
Korean Pride on the Street
Every tour starts on Sejong Belt information center of Gwanghwamoon square connected with subway station line5. In the square, we firstly saw Yi Sun-sin and King sejong statues and then find the door to a museum ‘The Story of King Sejong’ behind the statue. In the museum, many stories, discoveries, achievements, and inventions are displayed and explained step by step; therefore, it takes enough educational values to learn their influence on the Joseon Dynasty, and how they develop many inventions in the Joseon era especially hangeul (Korean letters) and Geobukseon (Geobuk means a turtle and Seon is a ship, a ship made by Yi Sun-sin which looks like a turtle). The West Gate of the Palace, Yeongchu (Yeong means welcome, and Chu does Autumn)
A Harmony with Ancient and Modern Palace inside a Street
Walking ahead to the royal palace, you can see Gwanghwamun , which is the main entrance or door of the Gyeongbokgung, the main Korean royal palace. Not going inside the palace, we just go left and walked beside the wall of the palace. A beautiful street leads you to reach to Cheongwadae, the Blue House. Before sightseeing the Blue House, you can visit Daelim Museum and Cheongwadae Sarangchae (Guestroom, Sarang means love, and Chae means room in Korean). Daelim Museum exhibits various artworks and opens permanent and temporary exhibitions and Sarangchae run by Cheongwadae introduces all about Korea, especially Seoul, the green growth policy, and the president. After walking across the street in front of Sarangchae and going up a hill, you can see the facade of Cheongwadae and take a photo.
A Street with Real Korean Style
Walking slowly beside the stone wall of the royal palace, there is a prosperous street with many cafés and restaurants called Samcheong-dong gil. Many Koreans love this street which harmonizes modern and traditional style and many galleries and venues occupy every nook and crany of the area. You will discover the real beauty, sound, taste, and smell of Korea just through walking the street. Walking down the street, east door of Gyeongbokgung is waiting for you and you can watch the National Folk Museum of Korea in the palace free of charge. The museum permanently shows Korean traditional food, clothing, and shelter, also especially celebrations of national festivals, ceremonies and customs. If you want to stroll at the royal palace, you can pay 3,000 won to enter it. ‘A Visit to the Royal Palace’ is a travel into Korean history. When you walk slowly and look at all the environments along the stone wall of the royal palace, you will recognize why Seoul city chooses this street as ‘A Visit to the Royal Palace.’ In the end of the program, you satisfy the traditional and cultural faces of Seoul and never forget the way you appreciate Seoul.
