Taste the past at Gyeongbok Palace as royal sauce storage opens to public

Gyeongbok Palace’s Janggo will open in Seoul starting Nov. 4 for a five-day program celebrating Korea’s Jang-Making Culture. Visitors can explore royal sauce storage, exhibitions and reenactments, while workshop participants ferment meju in traditional onggi pots. The jars will mature for roughly four months before participants return in spring 2027 to separate the mixture into ganjang and doenjang.

The hands-on program begins Nov. 6 and is led by Grand Master Ki Soon-do, who will teach participants to ferment dried soybean blocks in brine inside 20-liter traditional earthenware pots.

Participants are tentatively scheduled to return from March 5 to March 7, 2027, for the jang-gareugi stage and will take home the resulting ganjang and doenjang.

Free exhibitions, theatrical reenactments and photo zones will run daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Nov. 8.

Workshop tickets cost 50,000 won per ticket, admit two participants, and cover one of four daily sessions at 10 a.m., 11:20 a.m., 2 p.m. or 3:20 p.m.

Published Oct 20, 2026 2:31 pm KST

5-day program offers public entry, masterclasses, interactive exhibitions on royal culinary arts

Large earthenware jars in the courtyard of the Janggo, the royal sauce storage area at Gyeongbok Palace in central Seoul / Courtesy of Korea Heritage Service

In the quiet, stone-paved courtyards of Gyeongbok Palace, the heart of Korea’s 1392-1910 Joseon Dynasty, stands a rare enclave reserved for the deep secrets of royal cuisine: the Janggo.

For centuries, this specialized pavilion served as the palace’s dedicated sauce storage, housing hundreds of giant earthenware jars where fermented soy paste and sauces aged slowly under the watchful eyes of royal court ladies.

Far more than a simple condiment, fermented soybean paste, or "jang," forms the fundamental flavor base of Korean cuisine, serving as the quiet backbone of everything from daily family stews to elaborate royal banquets.

Steeped in centuries of communal ritual, the practice of making jang — timing the fermentation to the winter air and tending to the earthenware jars over months — reflects a deep philosophy of seasonality, patience and harmony with nature that continues to define Korean culinary heritage.

Starting Nov. 4, the Royal Palaces and Tombs Center and the Korea Heritage Agency will swing open the long-sealed doors of the Janggo for a five-day immersive cultural program celebrating "Korea's Jang-Making Culture." The initiative offers visitors a rare glimpse into the historic rhythms of royal court life while highlighting a culinary tradition inscribed as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2024.

Beginning Nov. 6, hands-on masterclasses will allow participants to step into the role of palace artisans. Led by Grand Master Ki Soon-do, a designated Korean food grand master, guests will learn the intricate science behind fermenting "meju," or dried soybean blocks, in brine within 20-liter traditional earthenware pots called "onggi."

The hands-on experience does not end when the day is done.

In true homage to traditional fermentation, the jars filled by participants will remain inside the royal palace storage for roughly four months, slowly maturing under optimal atmospheric conditions throughout the winter. Participants will return in spring 2027 — tentatively scheduled for March 5 to March 7 — for the "jang-gareugi" stage, when the aged mixture is separated into rich liquid soy sauce, or "ganjang," and dense, savory soybean paste, called "doenjang," to take home.

"Through this event, we hope visitors can vividly experience the deep history and culinary value of Korea's traditional fermentation culture," an official at the Royal Palaces and Tombs Center said.

Alongside the hands-on workshops, the Janggo courtyard will offer free public exhibitions, theatrical reenactments, and photo zones daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Nov. 8.

Ticketing for the hands-on workshops opens Wednesday at 2 p.m. via Ticketlink on a first-come, first-served basis. Priced at 50,000 won ($37) per ticket, each reservation admits a pair of participants for four daily sessions at 10 a.m., 11:20 a.m., 2 p.m. and 3:20 p.m.

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

景福宫的酱库将于11月4日起在首尔开放，举办为期五天的活动，庆祝韩国的酱料制作文化。游客可以参观皇家酱料库、展览和历史重现表演，而工作坊的参与者则可以在传统的瓮器中发酵酱汁。这些酱汁将在罐中发酵约四个月，之后参与者将于2027年春季再次前来，将酱汁分离成干酱和大酱。

实践课程将于 11 月 6 日开始，由 Ki Soon-do 大师指导，他将教参与者在 20 升的传统陶罐中用盐水发酵干大豆块。

参赛者暂定于 2027 年 3 月 5 日至 7 日返回参加 jang-gareugi 阶段，并将带走最终的 ganjang 和 doenjang。

从上午 10 点到下午 5 点，每天上午 10 点至下午 5 点，将举办免费展览、戏剧重现和拍照区活动，活动持续至 11 月 8 日。

工作坊门票每张50,000韩元，可供两人参加，并可选择参加每日四场课程中的一场，时间分别为上午10点、11点20分、下午2点或3点20分。

发布于2026年10月20日下午2:31（韩国标准时间）

为期5天的活动包括公众入场、大师班以及关于皇家烹饪艺术的互动展览。

首尔市中心景福宫长古院内，皇家酱料储藏室中摆放着大型陶罐 / 图片由韩国遗产服务处提供

在景福宫宁静的石板铺砌的庭院里，坐落着一个罕见的隐秘之地，这里是1392年至1910年朝鲜王朝的中心，也是皇家料理的秘密所在：长古。

几个世纪以来，这座专门的亭子一直是宫殿的专用酱料库，里面存放着数百个巨大的陶罐，发酵的酱油和各种酱料在宫廷女眷的注视下慢慢陈酿。

发酵大豆酱（或称“酱”）远不止是一种简单的调味品，它是韩国料理的基本风味基础，从日常家常炖菜到精致的皇家宴会，它都是韩国料理中不可或缺的支柱。

制作酱汁（jang）的过程，融入了几个世纪的集体仪式，需要根据冬季的空气来把握发酵时间，并在几个月的时间里精心照料陶罐，这体现了韩国人对季节性、耐心和与自然和谐相处的深刻理解，而这种理解也继续定义着韩国的烹饪传统。

从11月4日起，韩国皇宫陵墓中心和韩国文化遗产厅将重新开放长期封闭的长古宫，举办为期五天的沉浸式文化活动，庆祝“韩国的制酱文化”。该活动让游客有机会一窥昔日宫廷生活的节奏，同时重点介绍这项将于2024年被列入联合国教科文组织非物质文化遗产名录的烹饪传统。

从11月6日起，一系列实践性大师班将让参与者有机会体验宫廷工匠的角色。在韩国指定的食品大师奇顺道大师的指导下，学员们将学习如何在名为“瓮器”的20升传统陶罐中，用盐水发酵“米酒”（即干黄豆块）。

实践体验并不会随着一天的结束而结束。

为了真正传承传统发酵工艺，参与者们装满的罐子将在皇宫的储藏室中存放约四个月，在整个冬季于最佳大气条件下缓慢熟成。参与者们将于2027年春季（暂定于3月5日至7日）再次前来，参加“酱加里”（jang-gareugi）阶段。届时，熟成的混合物将被分离成浓郁的液态酱油（ganjang）和浓稠鲜美的豆酱（doenjang），供他们带回家。

“我们希望通过这次活动，游客能够生动地体验韩国传统发酵文化的深厚历史和烹饪价值，”皇宫陵墓中心的一位官员表示。

除了动手实践工作坊外，从上午 10 点到下午 5 点，Janggo 庭院还将提供免费的公共展览、戏剧重现和拍照区，活动持续至 11 月 8 日。

实践工作坊的门票将于周三下午2点通过Ticketlink网站开放购买，先到先得。每张门票售价50,000韩元（约合37美元），每张门票可供两人参加，每天有四场课程，时间分别为上午10点、11点20分、下午2点和3点20分。

本文由生成式人工智能协助发布，并由《韩国时报》编辑。