The Royal Asiatic Society Korea Branch will host a talk next week by Durumari History Education Institute president Jinny Hwang Inhee.

The tombs, collectively added to UNESCO’s World Heritage list, are scattered in and around Seoul and span the entire Joseon era, with nearly all royal tombs that were built still standing.

Hwang will explain in-depth features of the tombs, and touch on the Jongmyo Jeryeak, the royal ancestral rites that have been performed annually for 623 years.

The lecture will be in Korean with a live translation, as a departure from the usual format of lectures that the society hopes will allow it to invite a wider range of guest speakers.

The lecture starts Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in the residents’ lounge of Somerset Palace near Anguk Station in Seoul. Admission is free for RASKB members and 7,000 won for nonmembers.

(paulkerry@heraldcorp.com)