SEOUL | Deoksugung Palace by day

Autumn 2024. Ten years after my first trip to Seoul in 2014, I am returning to the Republic of Korea, better known as South Korea. Not solo this time, but with Oriol, who has never been to Korea. On the itinerary: flying with Qatar Airways to Incheon via Doha, the capital Seoul, the historic city of Gyeongju, Busan, Jeju Island and a second stint in Seoul, where we are joined by Sehyeon. We’re spending two weeks in South Korea. The ROK is such a popular destination now. Will we experience overtourism?

Our first proper site we visited in Seoul was Deoksugung Palace, as it was not too far from the hotel. Deoksugung Palace is part of the Royal Palaces and Tombs Center.

Deoksugung (덕수궁) also known as Gyeongun-gung, Deoksugung Palace, or Deoksu Palace, is a walled compound of palaces in Seoul that was inhabited by members of Korea’s royal family during the Joseon Dynasty until the annexation of Korea by Japan in 1910.

It is one of the ‘Five Grand Palaces‘ built by the kings of the Joseon Dynasty. The buildings are of varying styles, including some of natural cryptomeria wood, painted wood, and stucco. Some buildings were built of stone to replicate western palatial structures.

In addition to the traditional palace buildings, there are also forested gardens, a statue of King Sejong the Great and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, which holds special exhibitions. The palace is located near City Hall Station.

Colonial destruction

Deoksugung, like the other ‘Five Grand Palaces’ in Seoul, was heavily damaged during the colonial period of Korea. Currently, only one third of the structures that were standing before the occupation remain.[

Deoksugung Palace is special among Korean palaces. It has a modern and a western style garden and fountain. The Changing of the Royal Guard, in front of Daehanmun Gate, is a very popular event for many visitors. The royal guard was responsible for opening and closing the palace gate during the Joseon Dynasty. Outside of the palace is a picturesque road with a stone wall.

The Deoksugung Stonewall walkway is at the heart of a popular urban myth in Seoul, as it is said that all couples who walk down this road are fated to break-up.

History

Deoksugung Palace is a major royal palace of the Daehan Empire, proclaimed in 1897. It has served as a temporary palace since 1593, when all other palaces in the capital were destroyed during the Japanese invasion.

In 1897, Emperor Gojong declared the Korean Empire and assumed the throne at Gyeongungung Palace. The palace was then renovated to reflect the dignity of an empire, incorporating Western-style buildings. However, a great fire in 1904 destroyed many of its buildings.

After Emperor Gojong abdicated in 1907 due to Japanese pressure, the palace was renamed Deoksugung. Under Japanese rule, the palace shrank significantly, and most of its buildings were demolished. It was also incorporated into a Japanese park development project.

Since the end of Japanese rule, Deoksugung Palace has undergone restoration efforts. It currently serves as a cultural heritage site and a popular tourist destination.

Seokjojeon Hall and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art.

Features

Daehanmun Gate, originally called Daeanmun before 1906, is the main gate of the current palace.
The main hall, Junghwajeon Hall is where the state affairs, official meetings were held and where the throne is located. It used to be a two-story building but was rebuilt in 1906 with only one story.
Junghwamun Gate is the gate that leads to the main hall. Originally it featured a walled corridor, thus allowing people to only enter the main hall through the gate. The walls were destroyed.
Hamnyengjeon Hall is Emperor Gojong’s bedroom, located at the east wing of the palace. This is where the fire broke out in 1904, officially because of the heating system, but it has been suspected that it was done by the Japanese to eliminate Gojong.
Jeonggwanheon is a modern pavilion built in the royal garden in 1900, and was the first Western-style building ever built in a Korean royal palace. Although it was built by a Russian architect in a European style, it also features Korean elements. It was transformed into a cafeteria during the Japanese occupation.
Dondeokjeon Hall, a French-style building that sat on the grounds inside Deoksu Palace in central Seoul for only about three decades, was reconstructed from the ground up by the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA). It was a location at which the Korean Empire (1897-1910) actively engaged in diplomatic activities to communicate with foreign envoys that the Korean Empire is no longer a vassal or tributary state of China, but its own sovereign state. It was also where Emperor Gojong’s son, Sunjong, ascended to the throne in 1907.
Seokjojeon is a Neo-Renaissance style building designed in 1898 by British architect John Reginald Harding, used for diplomatic and high-level government meetings. In 2014 its interior was restored to its Korean Empire-period appearance and now houses the Korean Empire History Hall.
The Seokjojeon West Building was opened in 1938 as the House of Yi Art Museum, and continues to be used as an art museum today, housing the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art.
Jungmyeongjeon Hall, across Deoksugung-gil separate to the rest of the palace, was built to be a royal library but when the 1904 fire broke out, the emperor temporarily used it as his private residence.

A visit

When you’re not familiar with Korean history, architecture, language and thus naming patterns, it is hard to remember what you saw. I could identify some of the buildings I photographed, but not all.

Deoksugung Palace is still a fairly large site (bit small compared to others). We mostly spent time making photos of nicely looking edifices.

Dondeokjeon Hall is easily visitable and offers an insight in the Korean Empire. Unfortunately, the tour we could have done inside Seokjojeon or the Korean Empire History Hall was already full. You can’t visit on your own. But we did visit the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art.

In 2014, I visited the palace by night.