Robots Join King Jeongjo's Royal Procession… Showcasing Filial Piety that Stirred Hwaseong City
Hwaseong Special Free City (Mayor Jung Myung-geun) successfully concluded the "2026 Jeongjo Filial Piety Culture Festival and King Jeongjo's Royal Procession" held from the 3rd to 4th at Jeongjo Filial Piety Park and the Hyungneung area, amid enthusiastic public interest and participation from citizens and tourists.
The Jeongjo Filial Piety Culture Festival is Hwaseong Special Free City's representative historical and cultural festival held to inherit the filial piety and love for the people of King Jeongjo. This year, the festival was enriched through various programs that reinterpreted historical significance in a modern context and citizen-participatory content.
At the opening ceremony held on the first day of the festival, a filial piety award ceremony was held to encourage and express gratitude to citizens who have practiced filial culture in the local community.
Subsequently, the nighttime procession titled "Hyungneung Relocation," which reenacted the historic process of moving the tomb of King Jeongjo's father, Prince Sado, to Hyungneung, featured approximately 400 citizens' participation. The procession, which blended butterfly drones and peach blossom flower offering performances, symbolically expressed King Jeongjo's filial piety and added meaning to the festival.
Additionally, a creative musical titled "The King's Way," themed around King Jeongjo's spirit of filial piety, and a drone light show featuring around 1,000 drones were performed, providing spectators with abundant attractions and emotional impact.
On the second day, King Jeongjo's Royal Procession with approximately 800 citizens' participation proceeded through Dongtan and Hwanggye-dong to Jeongjo Filial Piety Park. The procession featured a large figure of King Jeongjo, a filial piety parade unit, children's procession units from Annyeong and Hak elementary schools, citizen procession units, and foreign procession units, presenting diverse formations blending tradition and modernity.
Notably, this year's King Jeongjo's Royal Procession featured a "robot procession" in the lead, drawing attention. Robots symbolizing the future city of Hwaseong Special Free City marched through the city center alongside the traditional royal procession, creating a unique scene where historical culture and advanced technology harmonized.
Spectators enjoyed the parade combining traditional attractions reenacting Joseon Dynasty royal processions with future technology, experiencing an even more renewed King Jeongjo's Royal Procession.
Mayor Jung Myung-geun of Hwaseong Special Free City stated, "The Jeongjo Filial Piety Culture Festival and King Jeongjo's Royal Procession transcend mere historical reenactment to inherit King Jeongjo's filial piety and love for the people as values for today," adding, "The spirit of communication and innovation for the people that King Jeongjo envisioned resonates with the future that Hwaseong Special Free City aspires to achieve today."
Meanwhile, the Jeongjo Filial Piety Culture Festival and King Jeongjo's Royal Procession, held as a festival with citizens to reflect on King Jeongjo's filial conduct and love for the people, are held annually from September to October at Jeongjo Filial Piety Park and are establishing themselves as Hwaseong Special Free City's representative historical and cultural festival.
