Traditional Korean music composer Yu Eun-seon hosts Jamidonghwa자미동화 Concert here at Samcheonggak every Saturday.

An hour-long performance by musicians clad in colorful Korean costume hanbok is followed by a luncheon of delicately flavored Korean dishes. It is a premium lunch concert that delights the eyes, ears, and mouth.

- This is where I bring my foreigner friends and their responses have been always very good. The menu consists of both vegetarian and meat dishes so foreigners will have a great time here. I think this place is good for Koreans, your parents, and foreign business partners. It’s a good place to enjoy a performance and a nice meal.
- It’s my second time here at the concert. Every time I hear this music I realize that Korean music has its own distinct rhythm different from that of western music. I’m glad I came.

Opened in 1972, Samcheonggak rose to fame as an upscale restaurant and bar for politicians in the 1970s and 1980s, witnessing the ups and downs of tumultuous Korean political history. Samcheonggak was placed under global spotlight when it was used to host dinner after the historic inter-Korean Red Cross meeting in 1972. But in the mid-1990s the historical venue was turned into a common restaurant and purchased by the city of Seoul in 2001 to be converted into a compound for cultural events. The recent winter snow has covered the dark gray roof tiles of Samcheonggak building and the surrounding scenery, lending the whole place an ambience of tranquility and antiquity. Let’s explore further this elegant enclave of Korean tradition at the foot of Mt. Bukhan in the middle of Seoul.

- We are only our way back down from the mountain. It’s nice to have such a classic place in the middle of the city. I love the snowy scenery.
- Samcheonggak is a place where I want to visit all year round. This is where I can set aside an hour or two to enjoy some time for myself.
- It’s really nice here. The scenery is better with the snow. I came from America and I am here today with my nieces. I was so looking forward to coming here. The surroundings make me very happy and peaceful.

Samcheonggak invites return visits with its romantic scenery, especially a snowy one in winter. Looking from above, Samcheonggak seems to be embraced by majestic Mt. Bukak. The name Samcheonggak means a house of three clarities – clear mountains, clear waters, and clear minds. So it wouldn’t be too unreasonable to call it a place with the clearest spirit in the city. The best way to fully appreciate the beauty of Samcheonggak is to take in everything on your way up to the main building. It is done by taking advantage of the compound’s free shuttle bus service, which runs every hour with stops at Gyeongbok Palace, Jogye Buddhist Temple, Youngpoong Books, Eulji-ro Avenue, the Press Center, and Kyobo Books.

Transformed into a venue for traditional cultural performances in October 2001, Samcheonggak sits on a site measuring nearly 19,500 square meters. The compound houses six traditional Korean buildings and the first stop in the tour is Ilhwadang, the main building of Samcheonggak. Here’s Ms. Yu Eun-seon to explain more about it.

Ilhwadang means harmoniously bringing everything as one. Since the name “Samcheong” means three clear things, Ilhwadang represents Samcheonggak’s aim of uniting those three clarities into one.

Comprised of two underground and two aboveground floors, Ilhwadang features a performance hall where cultural events are held, a tea café selling traditional teas, and a Korean restaurant. It is also the venue for the ongoing Jamidonghwa lunch concert. Here’s Ms. Yu Eun-seon again.

The lunch concert was programmed to treat guests to beautiful scenery, traditional music, and a delicious meal. The word “jami” means nutritious food as well as fun in the Jeju dialect. So “jami” became the blanket term for all the concerts hosted by Samcheonggak, because the concerts present enjoyable music and delicious food. The word “donghwa” means a winter story.

Jamidonghwa concert features traditional Korean music, Korean folk song of pansori, Korean dance, and fusion music pieces in addition to the performances by Cheongarang, Samcheonggak’s own traditional music ensemble comprised of nine female musicians. Descriptions of performances are provided on the big LCD screens next to the stage both in Korean and English so both Korean and foreign audiences have no problem understanding the productions.

Jamidonghwa not only introduces Korean music, but also teaches guests about traditional Korean musical instruments. Today’s hands-on program is about janggu, one of Korea’s most well-known musical instruments, the double-ended drum.

The instructor makes it sound so easy, but the guests’ hands holding the drum sticks seem to have a mind of their own. Not wanting to waste this rare opportunity to learn how to play the janggu, audience members try their best to follow the beat.

-It was fun. I learned a lot about Korean traditional instrument so it was worthwhile.
- It was so much fun. I live overseas and come to Korea about once a year. I promised myself to come here every year. I learned about janggu today and came to realize that I’m cut out for it. I’m going to practice hard and maybe I will be good enough to play a duet when I come back next year.

Time flies when learning about and listening to Korean traditional music, as well as American and Korean pop songs played with traditional instruments and. More enjoyable and rewarding than expected from a simple lunch concert, the all-too-short Jamidonghwa concert winds down to a heartfelt applause from the audience.

- I’ve never heard music like this before. It was very different. I want to come here again.
-I had such fun. The last piece about a boat ride sounded so energetic that I felt new hope sprouting inside of me.
-It was great. The sound was fantastic. Concerts like this can get pretty monotonous and boring, but learning about traditional music helped me realize how merry and fun it is and how wide the musical range was. I learned new things and grew more curious about Korean music. I especially liked the rhythm. Western music is melody-based, whereas Korean music is rhythm-based. The last part where the sound echoed through my heart was the best, because Korean musical instruments sounded so powerful and classy.

Immediately following the concert is a seven-course lunch at the Samcheonggak restaurant. This elegant Korean meal is what sets Samcheonggak apart from other restaurants.

There are other cultural venues in Seoul that provide great traditional entertainment besides Samcheonggak. But the reason people come all the way to Samcheonggak is that we provide them with excellent Korean cuisine with Korean music. We provide guests with a cultural performance first. Our stage is just as, if not more, classy than those at the Seoul Arts Center or Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, and the audience appreciate that. After the performance is over, the hall is instantly converted into a restaurant. So guests can enjoy two experiences at one place. In general meals come ahead of performances, but once their stomachs are full, people just want to go home. So we scheduled a show first and then a meal. That way people get hungry while watching the show, which makes them enjoy lunch even more. The idea worked. While having their lunch, the audience can talk about the performance and share their thoughts. I think the mealtime is an extension of the concert.

The lunch starts off with seasonal porridge and refreshing kimchi. The entrée consists of salmon bibimbap, mountain herb bibimbap, bulgogi, grilled duck breast, japchae, and shrimp and pine nuts salad, followed by traditional tea, and Korean cookies. The full-course meal is a delight for the eyes as well as the palate.

- I had mountain herb bibimbap the last time I was here with eight or nine of my friends. It was mild and delicious. Today I ordered bulgogi because I wanted to try something else.
- The flavors are subtle and mild. The dishes are all delicious.
- It’s delicious. It’s the flavor of nature.
- It was delicious. I brought foreign guests with me and it was great that I showed them what Korea is like. The food was flavorful and I’d recommend this place for entertaining foreigners. I had duck, cold salad, bulgogi and rice, kimchi, and seaweed soup and every one of them was delicious. They were fantastic.
- These dishes are so tasty, they’re the best. I feel like I’m walking on the clouds.

Jamidonghwa is held at a 200-seat auditorium on the second floor. The year-long performance is shown on different days of the week each season. In February the concert is held on Sundays and from March through December three times a week on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. Every Saturday morning you can enjoy a morning concert titled “The Morning at Samcheonggak.”

Our morning concert is scheduled once every month. Starting a few years ago, we have presented the morning concert at 10AM. We see a lot of foreign tourists at the concert, maybe because it is free, but mostly because tourists tend to wake up early to cram in as many activities they can into a day. So we scheduled this monthly concert to give them something to do in the morning. It’s hosted on the last Saturday of the month and we provide simple snacks like tea, walnuts, and Korean cookies. So even if they miss breakfast, they can always find something to tide them over until lunch. They can also enjoy some peaceful time to meditate.

Guests fill their minds and bodies enriched after a pleasant performance and a satisfying meal. Now it’s time to tour the rest of Samcheonggak. Straight across from Ilhwadang stands Yuhajeong Pavilion, which is surrounded by trees and a stream. Next to it is traditional hanoks with names like Cheonchudang, Chwihandang, Cheongcheondang, and Dongbaekheon. Here’s Ms. Yu Eun-seon to explain the names.

Cheonchudang means a structure as clear and high as the autumn sky, Chwihandang is a place of beautiful lights, and Dongbaekheon is a house of the eastern sun. This is where hands-on cultural experience programs are held. Guests learn about pansori or tea ceremony there. Yuhajeong is also used for that purpose.

Samcheonggak hosts a series of classes on tea ceremony, traditional embroidery, traditional music, Korean cuisine and many other Korean cultures. Guests can take part in these programs by making reservations one week in advance at the Samcheonggak homepage.

We strive to become a Seoul landmark by presenting these performances and cultural programs. Isn’t it natural for people to want to experience foreign cultures when they travel overseas? To meet that demand, we at Samcheonggak try to provide the most accurate and traditional Korean experience through our performances and cultural programs.

Whether you choose to visit in snowy winter or sizzling summer, Samcheonggak is ready to welcome you with inspiring performances and deliciously satisfying Korean teas and foods.