{
  "id": 17754869,
  "title": "Experience ancient Korean commerce at Seoul's annual Yukui-jeon Festival",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/02/experience-ancient-korean-commerce-at-seouls-annual-yukui-jeon-17754869",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-11-02T06:17:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/lifestyle/people-events/20261102/experience-ancient-korean-commerce-at-seouls-annual-yukui-jeon-festival"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Jongno, Seoul's historic downtown core, will transport visitors back in time this Saturday with the 2026 Yukui-jeon Festival. The event reenacts a 600-year-old marketplace nestled along Cheonggye Stream, inspired by the \"Six Licensed Stores\" that once held exclusive royal monopolies during the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910). The festival will unfold from 1 to 8 p.m. on November 7, encircling Jangtonggyo Bridge, and will showcase local merchants, food vendors, traditional games, and live performances, all under the theme \"Unjong-ga, Street Where People Gather Like Clouds.\" This name pays homage to Unjong-ga, one of Joseon-era Seoul's principal commercial streets, which centered around the present-day Jongno intersection. Government-authorized merchants and independent traders would gather here to sell their goods, with Yukui-jeon representing the six major categories of these authorized shops: silk, cotton fabric, hemp fabric, paper, miscellaneous textiles, and seafood. The Jongno-Cheonggye Tourist Special Zone Council is organizing this year's festivities, featuring sales booths operated by merchants from the very same categories that once defined the district's commerce.",
  "summary": "Jongno, the historic heart of downtown Seoul, will recreate a 600-year-old marketplace along Cheonggye Stream this Saturday during its annual Yukui-jeon Festival — a celebration named after the \"Six Licensed Stores\" that held exclusive royal monopolies during the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910). The 2026 festival will run from 1 to 8 p.m. on Nov. 7 around Jangtonggyo Bridge, bringing together local…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}