Joseon's Night Rekindled in Gimje... National Heritage Night Tour Opens on the 18th

Experience Culture by Following the "Seven Duties of Provincial Governors"
Archery and Escape Room at the Confucian School
Local Historical Performances on Stage

The "Seven Duties of Provincial Governors," or "Suryungchilsah," which were the seven responsibilities that local magistrates in the Joseon Dynasty had to uphold, will be brought back to life along the night paths of Gimje. Gimje City will hold the "2026 Gimje National Heritage Night Tour" every day from 6 PM to 10 PM between the 18th and 20th at the historical site "Gimje County Government Office and Confucian School" area.

Gimje City will hold the "2026 Gimje National Heritage Night Tour" from the 18th to the 20th, every day from 6 PM to 10 PM, around the historic site 'Gimje Gun Government Office and Hyanggyo'. Photo by Gimje City Hall

This year's theme for the night tour is "A Night at the Government Office and Confucian School: Walking Through Gimje." Unlike a simple visit to old buildings, the program is specially designed to let visitors experience the administration, education, and daily culture of local communities during the Joseon era.

This year, Gimje's signature agricultural product—rice—has been incorporated into the night tour's historical and cultural content. Programs and performances set against the backdrop of the Joseon-period government office will integrate Gimje rice, weaving together national heritage and local everyday life into a unified narrative.

One of the main starting points of the night tour is "Welcome to Joseon." Here, visitors can draw lots to determine their social status and craft a "hopae" (identification tag), experiencing the era's class system firsthand. They will also receive "yeopjeon" (traditional brass coins), which can be used to participate in various night tour programs.

The collected coins can be exchanged at "Janghwari Rice Storage Benevolence" for locally produced small packs of Gimje rice. They can also be traded for traditional snacks like puffed rice ice cream, naturally connecting the lifestyle of the Joseon period with Gimje's present-day rice culture.

In the government office yard, the play "Catch the Rice Thief" will be performed, and a mission-based program called "The Secret of Sachilheon," inspired by the Seven Duties, will be running. At the Pigumgak, visitors can enjoy Gimje rice-based beverages while experiencing a traditional tea ceremony.

In the Confucian school area, programs will enable visitors to experience the functions of a Joseon-era educational institution. Guests can try traditional archery and participate in "Scholar Detective Squad," an escape room-style game set in the Myeongnyundang building, so that families will find it approachable and engaging within the historical space.

On the main stage in the square in front of the Confucian school, there will be performances based on Gimje's legendary "Bigeo" story and tales of loyalty from the Battle of Ungchi. By presenting local historical narratives and figures through performances, the event aims to make Gimje's cultural heritage easily accessible to visitors.

At the subsidiary stage in Jingge Nureuteo, a series of events will be held, including traditional tightrope walking, "Children’s Night Performance" for kids, and "Art Night Journey" featuring local artists.

This night tour extends beyond the government office and Confucian school, which house national heritage sites. At the Gimje Traditional Market, local merchants will host the "Century-old Food Market" showcasing local culinary specialties. In the "Night Market Under the Moon," with participation from young people and small business owners, visitors can enjoy food and experience-based flea market booths, thereby broadening the event’s route to encourage movement from heritage sites to the traditional market and local commercial districts.

Gimje City also plans to use this night tour as an opportunity to promote the restoration of the Oesammun, the outer gate of the Gimje government office that disappeared about a hundred years ago.

The Oesammun served as the main gate to the government office. The city aims to revive the spatial appearance of the former government office through the restoration of Oesammun and to further develop the Gimje government office and Confucian school as leading symbols of government office cultural heritage in Gimje.

Jung Sungjoo, mayor of Gimje, stated, "This night tour project uses national heritage in a way that allows visitors to follow in the footsteps of the Seven Duties and experience the historic value of Gimje’s government office and Confucian school firsthand. With the upcoming restoration of Oesammun after one hundred years, I believe this event will open a new chapter for the future of Gimje's government office."

Meanwhile, the "2026 Gimje National Heritage Night Tour" will offer a total of 35 programs across eight categories: Nightscape, Night Path, Night Tale, Night History, Night Market, Night Painting, Night Snack, and Night Stay. The event is organized by Gimje City and supported by the National Heritage Administration and North Jeolla Special Self-Governing Province.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.