By Kim Minji

Photos = National Palace Museum of Korea
Video = Choi Taesoon

During the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), a royal banquet with traditional music on a summer night would feature square glass lanterns. They hung under the eaves of the royal palace and brightened the banquet hall, which glowed as the night grew deeper.

While a royal banquet in the Joseon era was usually held on the morning of the day of each feast, Crown Prince Hyomyeong, the eldest son of King Sunjo, who reigned from 1800-34, initiated a night banquet in 1828 to celebrate his mother's 40th birthday. Afterwards, a variety of lanterns were used at the royal court for evening banquets.

A place in Seoul preserves the mood of such a banquet. The National Palace Museum of Korea in the capital's Jongno-gu District on Dec. 4 installed replicas of the lanterns at its entrance and on street lamps. The lanterns were lit at 6 p.m., making the museum's exterior start to glow and look more royal. 

On Nov. 16, the National Palace Museum of Korea and the Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation held their inaugural online sale of kits for making such a lantern priced at KRW 30,000 each; they sold out in two hours. The second sale on Nov. 27 saw the kits gone in just 10 minutes and the third on Dec. 9 resulted in the site's server crashing.

The materials in the kits include handcrafted wooden boards, an LED candle, acrylic boards and string. The wooden boards have a strong lacquer scent, as the lanterns used in the Joseon era were made from lacquered wood.

A Korea.net reporter on Dec. 17 assembled a lantern from a kit at its open studio in Seoul's Jongno-gu District. Though good at assembling things, she needed about 30 minutes to make the lantern.

Lighting the lantern made the mood of the office elegant and antique.

The LED candle needs no plugging in and its light is like a mood light. The combination of acrylic boards and wooden frames also provides a classic traditional Korean image.

For those who want to add a Joseon touch to any space, the foundation will hold its fourth sale of the lanterns on its commercial website (https://www.khmall.or.kr).

kimmj7725@korea.kr