Restored Gyeongbok Palace hall offers rare look into incense, royal rituals

The newly painted Heungbokjeon hall at Gyeongbok Palace in central Seoul will open in November for a four-session program on palace architecture and Joseon royal incense rituals. The Heungbokjeon Royal Culture Academy will run on Saturdays from Nov. 7-28. Lectures will cover vanished palace spaces, East Asian incense burners, reconstructed ceremonial objects and the fragrances used in royal ceremonies.

The Gyeongbok Palace Management Office will offer 30 places for each session on a first-come, first-served basis.

Registration begins at 2 p.m. Oct. 19 on the Royal Palaces and Tombs Center website, and the program is free.

The Nov. 7 lecture by writer Lee Man-hee will use the Bukgwoldohyeong, an old architectural plan of the northern palace, to examine spaces that no longer exist.

The final three sessions focus on the incense burner at Geunjeongjeon after its missing lid was re-created and installed in December 2025.

The Nov. 28 session will examine the types of incense used in Joseon royal ceremonies and how they were obtained.

Published Oct 12, 2026 2:50 pm KST

Updated Oct 12, 2026 3:39 pm KST

Foreign tourists pose for photos during a visit to Gyeongbok Palace in Jongno District, central Seoul, Oct. 4. Yonhap

A newly painted hall at Gyeongbok Palace in central Seoul will open its doors this November, offering visitors a rare glimpse into Korea’s royal heritage through expert talks on historic palace architecture, ceremonial incense burners and the fragrances of 1392-1910 Joseon-era court rituals.

The Gyeongbok Palace Management Office, under the Korea Heritage Service’s Royal Palaces and Tombs Center, will host four sessions of its Heungbokjeon Royal Culture Academy on Saturdays from Nov. 7-28.

The free program will take place at Heungbokjeon, a hall within Gyeongbok Palace in central Seoul, and is designed to help participants explore royal history through two themes: palace architecture and the cultural significance of incense burners.

The opening lecture on Nov. 7 will feature writer Lee Man-hee, who will draw on his book, “Secrets of the Palace No One Tells You,” to examine spaces within Gyeongbok Palace that no longer exist, using historical materials, including the Bukgwoldohyeong, an old architectural plan of the northern palace.

The following three sessions will focus on the incense burner at Geunjeongjeon, Gyeongbok Palace’s main throne hall, following a project to re-create and install its missing lid in December 2025.

On Nov. 14, Lee Yong-jin, a professor of art history at Dongguk University’s graduate school, will explore incense burners across East Asia and examine characteristics of Korea’s tradition.

On Nov. 21, Jang Kyung-hee, a former professor of cultural heritage conservation at Hanseo University who led research for the reconstructed lid, will compare incense burners installed in the main throne halls of Gyeongbok Palace and Deoksu Palace, examining their craftsmanship and symbolic meaning.

The final session on Nov. 28 will feature Ha Su-min, a doctoral graduate of Korea National University of Heritage, discussing the types of incense used in Joseon royal ceremonies and how they were obtained.

Registration opens at 2 p.m. Oct. 19 on the Royal Palaces and Tombs Center website, with 30 places available for each session on a first-come, first-served basis.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.

位于首尔市中心景福宫的兴福殿经过重新粉刷后，将于11月开放，举办为期四期的宫廷建筑及朝鲜王朝皇家香道讲座。兴福殿皇家文化学院将于11月7日至28日每周六举办讲座，内容涵盖已消失的宫廷空间、东亚香炉、复原的礼仪器物以及皇家仪式中使用的香料。

景福宫管理处将按先到先得的方式，为每场活动提供 30 个名额。

注册将于 10 月 19 日下午 2 点在皇家宫殿和陵墓中心网站上开始，该项目免费。

11月7日，作家李万熙将以北宫的古老建筑平面图《北月宫》为切入点，探讨已不复存在的空间。

最后三节课将重点介绍根正殿的香炉，该香炉的缺失盖子已于 2025 年 12 月重新制作并安装完毕。

11月28日的会议将探讨朝鲜王朝宫廷仪式中使用的香料种类及其获取方式。

发布于2026年10月12日下午2:50（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年10月12日下午3:39（韩国标准时间）

10月4日，外国游客在首尔钟路区景福宫参观时拍照留念。（韩联社）

首尔市中心景福宫新粉刷的大厅将于今年 11 月向公众开放，届时将通过专家讲解历史宫殿建筑、仪式用香炉以及 1392 年至 1910 年朝鲜王朝宫廷仪式的香气，为游客提供难得的机会，一窥韩国的皇家遗产。

韩国文化遗产厅皇家宫殿陵墓中心下属的景福宫管理办公室将于11月7日至28日（星期六）举办四期兴福殿皇家文化学院课程。

这项免费活动将在首尔市中心景福宫内的兴福殿举行，旨在通过两个主题帮助参与者探索皇家历史：宫殿建筑和香炉的文化意义。

11 月 7 日的开幕讲座将由作家李万熙主讲，他将以自己的著作《无人知晓的宫廷秘辛》为蓝本，利用历史资料（包括北宫的古老建筑平面图《北月宫》）来探究景福宫内已不复存在的空间。

接下来的三场会议将重点讨论景福宫主殿——官政殿的香炉，此前一项重建并安装其缺失盖子的项目已于 2025 年 12 月启动。

11月14日，东国大学研究生院艺术史教授李勇镇将探索东亚各地的香炉，并研究韩国传统香炉的特点。

11月21日，曾领导重建盖子研究的韩瑞大学文化遗产保护系前教授张京熙将对比景福宫和德寿宫主殿中安装的香炉，考察其工艺和象征意义。

11 月 28 日的最后一场讲座将由韩国国立文化遗产大学博士毕业生河秀敏主讲，探讨朝鲜王朝皇家仪式中使用的香料种类及其获取方式。

注册将于 10 月 19 日下午 2 点在皇家宫殿和陵墓中心网站上开放，每场活动限 30 个名额，先到先得。

本文由生成式人工智能协助发布，并由《韩国时报》编辑。