Built in 1405, Changdeokgung was the secondary palace (where the king stayed during outings) to Gyeongbokgung, the main palace of the Joseon Dynasty and Daehan (Korean) Empire (1392–1910). Changdeokgung was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997 for being an “exceptional example of [...] palace architecture and design, blending harmoniously with the surrounding landscape.”

Designers of Changdeokgung positioned its buildings using various contextual axes of nature in harmony with the area’s natural terrain, which is a different style from traditional palace architecture that lays out buildings symmetrically along the straight northsouth axis. For instance, the path from Donhwamun Gate (main gate) to its main hall (Injeongjeon Hall, where royal events were hosted and foreign envoys were welcomed), makes two turns, connecting the buildings aesthetically with the surrounding terrain.

It was named to mean “palace of illuminating virtue,” which was a Confucian ideal of Joseon. The names and layout of its buildings include such Confucian symbols and meanings. Reflecting pungsujiri (Korean geomancy) the buildings are laid out on flat grounds in the south while the gardens were arranged on hills in the north to harmonize with the topography.

Huwon Garden (also referred to as Secret Garden) maintained natural water pools, mounds, and rocks in the forest in their original positions to optimize their contributions to the landscape, and ponds pavilions, and buildings built throughout the garden harmonize beautifully and naturally with the surrounding. Huwon is recognized as the essence of royal gardening in the East.

Changdeokgung Palace was lost during Imjinwaeran, the Japanese invasion of Korea in 1592, but after a number of repairs and reconstructions, it came to serve as the official palace of the Joseon Dynasty for more than 250 years. Albeit reconstructed and expanded, its original design and form are preserved quite well, and the palace has had a huge effect on Korean architecture, garden and landscaping design, and related fields of art for centuries.

The Royal Ancestral Ritual in the Jongmyo Shrine and its Music is a ritual offered to royal ancestors of the Joseon Dynasty and Daehan Empire that has been continued for more than 500 years. It is a national rite in which strict procedures are carried out with dances, songs and music at Jongmyo Shrine.

Started as a Confucian country, the Joseon Dynasty considered filial piety as the first duty for a person to fulfill and used it as the most important norm in ruling the country. That is why ancestral rituals showing filial piety to ancestors are especially emphasized. Serving as the national model, the Royal Ancestral Ritual in the Jongmyo Shrine is a grand and strictly organized event.

It is comprised of the following procedures: welcoming the spirits of ancestors, entertaining them with dance and music, and sending them back. When all participants, such as officials in charge of the ancestral ritual, musicians and dancers, are in their designated positions, the king burns incense to welcome the spirits. Afterward, food and liquor offerings were presented to entertain the spirits, then after clearing the table, the sprits are sent off.

Jongmyo Jeryeak is the ritual music played during all the procedures of the Royal Ancestral Ritual. At the reenactment held every May and November, Botaepyeong and Jeongdaeeup are played with traditional instruments. With percussion instruments, such as pyeonjong (carillon) and pyeongyeong (stone chime) leading, melody instruments, such as dangpiri (type of flute), daegeum (large transverse bamboo flute) and haegeum (two-stringed fiddle), and other instruments like janggu (double-headed drum), jing (gong) and taepyeongso (double reed wind instrument) are played. Along with the music, 64 dancers in eight rows dance with simple but powerful moves while carrying symbolic props such as piri (flute) and wooden swords to praise the king’s charitable deeds. The Royal Ancestral Ritual in the Jongmyo Shrine and its Music are regarded as a solemn and refined complete work of art.

Kimjang, also spelled as gimjang, is the tradition of making large amounts of kimchi to eat through the cold winter. Kimchi, or dimche as it was called in the olden days, is preserved vegetables seasoned and fermented with various spices and seafood. Kimjang is an old custom and living culture involving a family’s unique recipe for kimchi, which is passed down through generations. Families and communities are brought together through this annual event.

There are hundreds of varieties of kimchi, and regardless of the social class and region, kimchi is an essential part of the Korean meal table. Full of vitamins, minerals and lactic acid bacteria, this staple of the Korean diet is purported to strengthen the immunity of regular consumers and deliver lots of nutrients. Usually, kimchi is prepared frequently using vegetables in season, but to prepare for winter, when snow blankets the peninsula and vegetables are hard to find, large quantities of kimchi are made and preserved.

Kimjang used to be a year-long process, with regular duties for each season. In spring, each household made jeotgal by salting and preserving seafood such as shrimp and anchovies, by summer they bought bay salt and removed excess bitterness from it, then in late summer, chili pepper powder was made, and in late fall, a day when the weather was just right and everyone could get together for kimjang was selected. Kimchi hangari, which are clay pots used for storing kimchi, were also prepared and buried in the ground.

Kimjang concentrates on “whole cabbage kimchi,” which is made by adding various seasonings and condiments to whole heads of napa cabbage and mixing together. First, cabbages brined one or two days prior are thoroughly rinsed in water then drained. Next, a seasoning made of radish, green onions, mustard leaves, garlic, ginger, chili pepper powder, salted seafood (jeotgal) and other seafood are mixed and rubbed and spread between each leave. During kimjang, various other types of kimchi are also made in addition to whole cabbage kimchi, including dongchimi (radish water kimchi), which is made by fermenting radish in brine; pagimchi (green onion kimchi), made by seasoning green onions, and kkakdugi (diced radish kimchi).

Nowadays, as the family structure and housing culture have changed, most households buy their kimchi, instead of making at home. However, many communities and organization host various kimjang events and festivals to make great amounts of kimchi to be shared with elders and those in need. The Korean kimjang culture is a beautiful custom where neighbors get together and bond while sharing their kimchi and secret recipes. In addition, almost every Korean household owns a “kimchi refrigerator,” an electric appliance that only exists in Korea, to store kimchi for a prolonged time at a desired temperature and humidity.

A representative folk song of Korea, “Arirang” was created by adding thoughts and words of numerous people over a long time and many generations. It is comprised of a chorus, “arirang arirang arariyo,” and two lines of short and simple lyrics. Because is easy to sing together, and anyone can create lyrics, it has been included in various music genres over the years.

Although the exact beginning and first lyrics are not known, it is estimated that there are more than 60 types and 3,600 folk songs titled “Arirang.” The representative ones are “Jeongseon Arirang” of Gangwon-do in the eastern part of Korea, “Jindo Arirang” of Jeollanam-do in the southwest and “Miryang Arirang” of Gyeongsangnam-do in the southeast.

“Arirang” became widespread throughout the nation after professional sorikkun (singer) began singing it as a popular folk song in the mid-19th century. Since then, many variations of the song were created, and one of the more popular ones was re-arranged and used as a theme song in Arirang, a movie that portrays the spirit of the Korean people produced by Director Na Un-gyu in 1926. As the movie became a huge success, the theme song also gained popularity nationwide, and became a song that comforted the souls of many as Korea went through a tumultuous history and people had to leave their homes and country.

“Arirang” is a song loved by all Koreans, regardless of class, and even among emigrants and their descendants, as well as foreigners residing in Korea. That is why it is called the “unofficial national anthem.” Even to this day, the song unites, communicates, and continues to be re-created for use in various art forms, such as music, cinema, musicals, dances, and literature.

Hunminjeongeum Manuscript is a book that explains Hunminjeongeum, the Korean alphabet currently known as “Hangeul,” created by the fourth king of the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910), King Sejong the Great (r. 1418–1450). This book clarifies who created the writing system, and why and how it should be read and written. It is the only record that contains explanations on how the characters of the Korean alphabet were intentionally created with a certain purpose.

Saddened at the fact that his people could not read or write, King Sejong created Hunminjeongeum, which means “proper sounds for the people,” and proclaimed it in September 1446 on the lunar calendar. Hunminjeongeum is a systematic phonogram in which sounds can be expressed in symbols by combining 28 characters comprised of 17 consonants and 11 vowels, and is easy for anyone to learn and write.

The Hunminjeongeum Manuscript is composed of “Yeui” (Examples and Usages), which contains the proclamation written by King Sejong himself, and “Haerye” (Explanations and Examples), containing detailed descriptions on “Yeui” by scholars of Jiphyeonjeon, the academic research institution at that time. “Yeui” is comprised of the purpose of creating Hunminjeongeum, and information about sounds and uses of the initial consonants and middle consonants.

“Haerye” is comprised of Jejahae (explanation of the principle of Hunminjeongeum), Choseonghae (explanation of the initial sounds), Jungseonghae (explanation of the medial sounds), and Jongseonghae (explanation of the final sounds), and also Hapjahae (explanation on how to combine two to three sounds to make a character), and Yongjarye (examples of 123 words using the letter combination method). The account of writing “Haerye,” and characteristics and advantages of the new Korean alphabet are briefly explained in the introduction at the end.