On the second floor of a building at the bustling Insadong intersection, popular among foreign tourists in Seoul, a small performance venue decorated with traditional hanok interiors awaits visitors. This is "Jinyeon," Korea's first privately operated permanent traditional Korean music venue. Offering live gugak performances for audiences of 20 or fewer, the venue has staged three shows daily, six days a week since opening in June last year, and now operates year-round starting this year.
When a reporter visited on the afternoon of the 15th, a traditional music performance was underway. The first part opens with "Gilje," a ritual offering pure water to pray for good fortune. The second part, inspired by "Jinyeon"—the royal banquets held at the palace for visiting foreign envoys or national celebrations—follows. Beginning with "Cheonneonmanse," a piece from the refined court chamber music "jeongak" that wishes for the king's longevity and an era of peace, the performance continues with delicate and ornate haegeum sanjo and pansori accompanied by gayageum. The third part elevates the atmosphere by presenting familiar tunes through traditional Korean melodies. Performers dressed in elegant hanbok play the haegeum and 24-string gayageum, singing not only Korean folk songs like "Gunbam Taryeong" and "Arirang" but also folk songs from around the world. The program balances familiarity and tradition for foreign audiences. Given the intimate scale, the repertoire may be adjusted depending on the audience composition.
"In the early days after opening, we once performed for just a single audience member," said Lee Yong-gwan, CEO of Jijidaeag, which operates Jinyeon. "As positive reviews accumulated and word spread, we now welcome about 100 visitors per week."
What motivated the venture into traditional Korean music performances, a virtual wasteland in the private sector? "What I found most regrettable was that Seoul, a city visited by more than 15 million people annually, had no permanent traditional Korean music venue," Lee said. "In major cities abroad, performances that travelers can easily access are a daily occurrence. But in Korea, even when tourists want to experience traditional culture, the threshold for traditional music venues is too high."
Quality traditional performances are indeed offered at venues such as the National Gugak Center, the National Theater of Korea, Seoul Namsan Gugakdang, Donhwamun Gugakdang, and Jeongdong Theater. However, most shows are concentrated in evening time slots. Moreover, with short performance runs, accessibility remains limited for foreign tourists with tight schedules.
"Foreign tourists respond particularly well to the fact that explanations are provided directly in English, and they can hear Korea's unique sounds up close without microphones," Lee emphasized. Considering this, reservations are mainly handled through platforms popular with foreigners, such as GetYourGuide and Klook.
Reviews have been positive. A female tourist from Australia said, "I was deeply moved by the traditional Korean music and court music, especially the 'Arirang' performance. Not only the music but the performance itself was impressive."
Admission for the approximately one-hour show is 65,000 won ($47) per session, relatively high for a traditional Korean music performance. Addressing this, Lee said, "I wanted to change the perception that traditional music performances should be free or cheap. Rather than offering low-cost shows, our goal is to provide high-quality performances that can be enjoyed privately in an intimate setting."
