Participants follow orders from Heungseon Daewongun to track down the seal

Actors, traditional culture and detective missions combine for a night out

[Provided by Seoul Metropolitan Government]
[Provided by Seoul Metropolitan Government]

The Seoul Metropolitan Government is launching a nighttime experience program at Unhyeongung, a historic palace in central Seoul, where participants hunt for a missing royal seal on autumn evenings. Visitors take orders from Heungseon Daewongun — the regent who once lived there — and roam the palace grounds collecting clues to track down the seal.

The city said it will run the program, titled "Dalbit Milhaeng — Uncover the Whereabouts of the Missing Royal Seal!," 18 times between Wednesday and Nov. 29.

The program was designed to coincide with Seoul Culture Night, a city initiative to expand residents' access to nighttime cultural activities. It combines live actor performances, traditional cultural experiences and detective-style missions against the backdrop of the palace's nighttime scenery.

Unhyeongung served as the private residence of King Gojong before his enthronement and as the home of his father, Heungseon Daewongun, making it a central stage in the political history of late Joseon.

Unlike typical aristocratic homes of the era, Unhyeongung was built on a scale and layout comparable to a royal palace. Though never an official palace, it became a hub of political power after the young Gojong took the throne and his father assumed the regency.

The program uses Unhyeongung's actual buildings and courtyards as its stage, weaving together actor performances, hands-on cultural activities and mystery missions.

Participants become the protagonists of the story, conversing with characters and gathering clues as they work to uncover the fate of the missing seal.

The route takes visitors through three sites in sequence — the flower-patterned wall, Norakdang and Irodang — where they tackle a different mission at each stop. Secret notes and decoding tools collected along the way help them piece together the clues.

The highlight is the final mission, "Find the Real Royal Seal," staged in the corridor of Irodang — a section not normally open to the public. Drawing on the clues gathered earlier, participants enter the corridor in family or team groups to take on the last challenge.

Once the seal is recovered, Heungseon Daewongun selects the participant who performed most actively that evening as the "top secret agent." The cast and participants then take a group photo before closing out the autumn night with a round of ganggangsullae — a traditional circle dance — accompanied by a pansori singer.

Each showing runs from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. and is limited to 20 participants. The entry fee is 10,000 won ($7) per person. Reservations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis through Naver Booking for each showing. Full schedules and details are available on the Unhyeongung website.

Min Su-hong, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's culture bureau, said the program "adds new experiences to the historical value of cultural heritage to expand citizens' opportunities to enjoy nighttime culture."


ken@heraldcorp.com