Jeju Governor’s “Banquet for the Elderly” from 324 Years Ago to Be Recreated at Jeju-mok Government Office

【Financial News, Jeju = Jeong Yong-bok】 A banquet held by a Jeju governor for local older people 324 years ago will be recreated at the Jeju-mok Government Office based on a painting depicting the event. The event revives the Joseon-era tradition of the state honoring older people and invites around 100 people aged 75 or older to share the meaning of respect between generations.
According to the World Heritage Headquarters of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province on the 18th, the 9th Jeju Yangno Reenactment will be held at 3:30 p.m. on the 24th in the courtyard in front of Mangyeongru at the Jeju-mok Government Office in Jeju City. The event is hosted and organized by the headquarters, which is inviting around 100 people aged 75 or older from the province. The general public may attend freely.
The historical basis for the event is Tamna Sunryeokdo, an illustrated album documenting life in Jeju during the late Joseon period. In 1702, Jeju Governor Yi Hyeong-sang toured the island’s villages and held major events, scenes that painter Kim Nam-gil recorded in the album. It comprises 43 pages in all—41 illustrated pages and two pages of preface—and was completed in 1703.
Among the illustrations, “Jeju Yangno” depicts Yi Hyeong-sang hosting a banquet for older people in front of Mangyeongru on November 19, 1702. The records from that time also include details about older people: 183 aged 80 or older, 23 aged 90 or older, and three aged 100 or older.

A yangno banquet was a feast arranged by the state during the Joseon period to honor older people. The king presided over such banquets in the capital, while local magistrates did so in the provinces. In 1432, King Sejong ordered that older people of low social status be allowed to attend yangno banquets and that banquets also be held for older women. The intention was that social status should not determine whether an older person was honored.
Drawing on this historical significance, the reenactment will feature a ceremony in which the Jeju governor shows respect to older people.
The event will begin with a choir performance by the invited seniors. After a performer playing the Jeju governor delivers a welcome, the program will continue with georeon, a traditional ritual in which the governor asks a representative of the older people for words of wisdom, followed by a traditional tea-serving ceremony.
Court music and dance will also be performed. An ensemble specializing in jeongak, traditional court music, will play “Suyeonjangjigok,” a piece wishing for longevity, and the Jeju Provincial Dance Company is set to present the court dance “Chun Aengjeon.” A performance of nongyo, folk farming songs that carry memories of the older people’s lives and work, is also planned.

“Chun Aengjeon” is a court dance created in the 19th century by Crown Prince Hyomyeong for his mother, Queen Sunwon. Because it was created after the 1702 yangno banquet, this event is designed to center on the ceremony honoring older people as it was performed at the time, while also presenting court arts from different periods.
The Jeju-mok Government Office, where the event will be held, was where the Jeju governor carried out administrative and military duties during the Joseon period. The event is historically significant because it recreates, as a cultural event today, a record of a banquet held 324 years ago at the very site where it took place.
Jeju Province has continued to hold the yangno reenactment so residents can experience the traditional culture recorded in Tamna Sunryeokdo. This year, marking October’s Month of Respect for the Elderly, the event focuses on reflecting on the importance of honoring older people and bringing court music and dance—performances rarely encountered in everyday life—to local audiences.
“We are recreating the yangno banquet to bring the history of Jeju recorded in Tamna Sunryeokdo to life before visitors and share our respect for older people,” said Kim Hyeong-eun, head of the World Heritage Headquarters of Jeju Province, who also encouraged people to visit the Jeju-mok Government Office during the Month of Respect for the Elderly.

[email protected] Jeong Yong-bok Reporter