Robot Parade Makes Its Debut at Hwaseong’s King Jeongjo Royal Procession... Where History Meets the Future

Hwaseong City to Host Jeongjo Hyo Cultural Festival at Jeongjo Hyo Park and Yungneung, October 3-4
800 Citizens to Join Royal Procession; Drone Light Show with 1,000 Drones
Mayor Jeong Myeonggeun: "A Festival Where History, Culture, and Cutting-Edge Technology Coexist"

Hwaseong Special City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Jeong Myeonggeun) is integrating cutting-edge technology, including a robot parade and drone show, into its historical and cultural festival that honors King Jeongjo's filial piety and love for his people.

Promotional poster for the 2026 Jeongjo Hyo Cultural Festival and Royal Procession. Provided by Hwaseong City.

On October 1, Hwaseong City announced that the "2026 Jeongjo Hyo Cultural Festival and King Jeongjo Royal Procession" will be held from October 3 to 4 at the Jeongjo Hyo Park and the Yungneung area. Having continued since 2002, this is Hwaseong's representative historical and cultural festival. This year, a variety of programs will be presented, combining citizen-participatory historical content with advanced technology.

The opening ceremony on the first day will include the presentation of the Filial Piety Award to citizens who have practiced filial piety within the local community. This will be followed by the "Hyeonryungwon Cheonwon" procession, featuring around 400 participants. This program reenacts the 1789 funeral procession in which Jeongjo relocated his father Crown Prince Sado's tomb to its current site at Yungneung. There will also be an original musical, "The King's Road," reflecting Jeongjo's spirit of filial piety, and a light show featuring 1,000 drones.

On the second day, around 800 citizens will participate in the King Jeongjo Royal Procession. The procession is organized into traditional (Hwanggye-dong to Hyeonchung Park), modern (Dongtan Central Park to Hyeonchung Park), and future (Hyeonchung Park to Yungneung) segments. The parade will also include a filial piety parade unit, a children's royal carriage unit, and processions with citizens and foreigners.

This year marks the first appearance of a robot parade in the royal procession. The city plans to showcase Hwaseong's identity as a future-forward city by featuring a parade where robots symbolizing advanced technology harmonize with traditional processions.

At Yungneung, the Sanneung Ritual Royal Procession and the Hyeonryungwon Ancestral Rite will take place. These ceremonies are intended to reflect on the meaning of filial piety practiced by King Jeongjo, and they will also be broadcast live at Jeongjo Hyo Park.

During the festival, there will be demonstrations of Joseon-era martial arts, Korean traditional music performances, opportunities to experience traditional clothing and crafts, "bongsimui" (ritual pillow) experience, and royal tomb tours. Hyundai Motor Namyang R&D Center will provide a total of 16 vehicles, including shuttle and transport buses, to assist with visitor transit and to transport procession participants.

Mayor Jeong Myeonggeun commented, "The Jeongjo Hyo Cultural Festival and King Jeongjo Royal Procession are representative historical and cultural festivals of Korea that carry forward King Jeongjo’s filial piety and spirit of caring for the people as values relevant today. This year, we will present a unique festival exclusive to Hwaseong, where history, culture, and cutting-edge technology coexist, through new content such as the robot parade."

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