Gyeongbokgung

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Gyeongbokgung

Gyeongbokgung also known as Gyeongbok Palace is a palace located in northern Seoul

Seoul

Seoul is the Capital and largest city of South Korea. With a population of over 10 million, It is one of the world's List of cities proper by population.The Seoul National Capital Area - which includes the major port city of Incheon and satellite towns in Gyeonggi-do, has 24.5 million inhabitants and is the world's second largest List of me...
, South Korea

South Korea

South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea , ), often referred to as Korea and the "names of Korea#Revival of the names", is a Semi-presidential system republic in East Asia, located in the southern half of the Korean Peninsula....
. It was the main and largest palace of the Joseon Dynasty

Joseon Dynasty

Joseon , was a sovereign state founded by Taejo Taejo of Joseon, and lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo Kingdom at what is today the city of Kaesong....
.

palace was originally constructed in 1394 by King Taejo and "Gyeongbokgung" was named by minister Jeong Do-jeon. Gyeongbokgung was continuously expanded during the reign of King Taejong

Taejong of Joseon

Taejong was the third king of the Joseon Dynasty in Korea and the father of Sejong the Great of Joseon....
and King Sejong the Great

Sejong the Great of Joseon

Sejong the Great was the fourth king of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. He is best remembered for creating the Korean alphabet hangul, despite strong opposition from the scholars educated in hanja ....
, but part of the palace was burnt down during the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592-1598).

During the regency of Daewon-gun

Daewon-gun

The Daewongun, or formally Heungseon Heonui Daewonwang and also known to period western diplomats as Prince Gung, was the title of Yi Ha-eung , regent of Joseon Dynasty during the minority of King Gojong in the 1860s and until his death a key political figure of late Joseon Korea....
in 1867, the buildings were reconstructed and formed a massive 330-building complex with 5,792 rooms. Standing on 4,414,000 square feet (410,000 square meters) of land, it was a symbol of majesty for the Korean people and the home of the royal family.

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Encyclopedia

Gyeongbokgung also known as Gyeongbok Palace is a palace located in northern Seoul

Seoul

South Korea

Joseon Dynasty

History

The palace was originally constructed in 1394 by King Taejo and "Gyeongbokgung" was named by minister Jeong Do-jeon. Gyeongbokgung was continuously expanded during the reign of King Taejong

Taejong of Joseon

Taejong was the third king of the Joseon Dynasty in Korea and the father of Sejong the Great of Joseon....
and King Sejong the Great

Sejong the Great of Joseon

Daewon-gun

Empress Myeongseong

Empress Myeongseong , was the first official wife of Gojong of Korea, the 26th king of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. In 1902, she received the posthumous name Hyoja Wonseong Jeonghwa Hapcheon Myeongseong Taehwanghu , often abbreviated as Myeongseong Hwanghu , meaning Empress Myeongseong....
by Japanese agents, her husband, Emperor Gojong left the palace and the imperial family would never return.

In 1911, the government of Japan

Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
demolished all but 10 buildings during the period of Japanese occupation

Korea under Japanese rule

Korea was under Japanese rule as part of the Imperial Japan during the first half of the 20th century, until the surrender of Japan in 1945. Korea was occupied and declared a Japanese protectorate in 1905 , and officially annexation in 1910 through an Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty....
, constructing the Japanese General Government Building

Japanese General Government Building, Seoul

The Japanese Government-General Building was the chief administrative building in Seoul during the Korea under Japanese rule and the seat of the Governor-General of Korea....
for the Governor-General of Korea

Governor-General of Korea

The post of Governor-General of Korea served as the chief administrator of the Japanese government in Korea while it was held as the Japanese colony of Korea under Japanese rule from 1910 to 1945....
in front of the throne hall.

At the end of the Second World War, major buildings on the site included Geunjeongjeon, the Imperial throne room (national treasure number 223), and Gyeonghoeru Pavilion (national treasure number 224), which stands in an artificial lotus lake, resting on 48 granite pillars. The pavilion is depicted on the 10,000 won

Won

Won or WON may refer to:*The Korean won from 1902-1910: in this meaning it rhymes with "gone"**The South Korean won or North Korean won currently in use....
Korean banknotes

South Korean won

The won is the currency of South Korea. A single won is divided into 100 jeon, the monetary subunit. The jeon is not used anymore for everyday transactions, and appear only on foreign exchange rates....
(1983-2002 Series).

Today the palace is open to the public, and houses the National Folk Museum of Korea

National Folk Museum of Korea

This National Folk Museum of Korea is a national museum of South Korea. It is situated on the grounds of the Gyeongbokgung in Jongno-gu, Seoul, and uses replicas of historical objects to illustrate the folk history of the Korean people....
. The National Museum of Korea

National Museum of Korea

The National Museum of Korea is the flagship museum of Korean history and art in South Korea and is the cultural organization that represents Korea....
was there too, until it was relocated to Yongsan-gu

Yongsan-gu

Yongsan-gu is a district of Seoul, South Korea. Its name means "Dragon Hill", derived from the hanja characters for dragon and hill/mountain . It sits to the North of the Han River under the shadow of Seoul Tower....
in 2005.

Archaeological work has brought 330 building foundations to light. The main gate to the palace, called Gwanghwamun

Gwanghwamun

Gwanghwamun was a landmark in central Seoul, South Korea, built in 1395. It was a large gate that stood in front of Gyeongbok Palace. The gate has gone through periods of destruction and disrepair, but in the time periods which it was physically standing, it was a landmark that could be justly labeled as the hub of Seoul....
, is now being restored to its original state, to be completed in 2009.

Cheong Wa Dae

The back garden of the palace used to contain the main part of the Governor-General's residence during the Japanese era. With the establishment of the Republic of Korea in 1948, President Syngman Rhee

Syngman Rhee

Syngman Rhee or Yi Seungman was the first president of South Korea of South Korea. His presidency, from August 1948 to April 1960, remains controversial, affected by Cold War tensions on the Korean peninsula and elsewhere....
used it as his office and residence. In 1993, after President Kim Young-sam

Kim Young-sam

Kim Young-sam was the first civilian President of South Korea since a series of dictatorships beginning with Park Chung-hee. Kim Young-sam was inaugurated on 25 February 1993 and served a single 5-year term....
's civilian administration was launched, the Japanese governor-general's residence in the Cheong Wa Dae compound was dismantled to remove a major symbol of the Japanese colonial occupation.

Gyeongbokgung

History

Cheong Wa Dae

See also

External links