Gyeongbokgung Palace : one of the Joseon-era palaces in Seoul, Korea


It is one of the Joseon-era palaces in Jongno-gu, Seoul, and the royal palace of Joseon. It is designated as Historic Site No. 117. Located in Sajik-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, the palace was first built during the Joseon Dynasty when King Taejo founded Joseon Dynasty and carried out the capital.



The construction of Gyeongbokgung Palace began in December 1394, more than three years after Joseon was founded, and the first construction was completed in late September 1395. It is a palace built before the commonly mentioned Forbidden City of the Ming Dynasty. The Forbidden City began construction in 1406 and was completed in 1420. In other words, it is wrong to say that Gyeongbok Palace was modeled after the Forbidden City. After its completion, Jeong Do-jeon named the palace’s main pavilion, Gangnyeongjeon Hall, Yeonsaengjeon Hall, Gyeongseongjeon Hall, Sajeonjeon Hall, Geunjeongjeon Hall and Geunjeongmun Gate. The size of Gyeongbokgung Palace was about 390 square meters when it was first completed, but the size of the palace was 7,225 square meters when Daewon County was in Heungseon. At the time of completion, the building was built mainly during the core of the royal palace, and there was no fence to distinguish around the palace. Since then, the construction of the extension has continued, especially in Sejong-dae, making it look like a palace.


The architecture of the Joseon Dynasty was greatly influenced by the construction of temples. Hoeamsa Temple, which was the original temple of the Joseon Dynasty, is quite similar in structure to Gyeongbokgung Palace, and is also found on the site of Hoeamsa Temple in Cheonggi Province, which was originally used in Gyeongbokgung Palace.

During the Joseon Dynasty before the Japanese Invasion of Korea, he played an important role as a court of law during the Joseon Dynasty. Gyeongbokgung was designed with a rigid geometric space division, building layout on a straight axis line, and a well-defined symmetrical structure to represent its authority as a legal palace.Changdeokgung Palace (+Changgyeonggung Palace) and the Yangkung system were established, and the kings took turns using the two palaces according to their respective tastes.


Since it was destroyed during the Japanese invasion of Korea, Heungseon Daewongun has been reconstructed after 200 years without access to the site. For your information, there is a difference between Gyeongbok Palace built by Heungseon Daewongun and Gyeongbokgung Palace that was destroyed during the Japanese Invasion of Korea. 


The current administrative district is located in Jongno-gu, Seoul. The nearest subway station is Gyeongbokgung Station, and you can enter inside Gwanghwamun, the main gate of Gyeongbok Palace, as soon as you go out of exit 5. And you can walk from Anguk Station or Gwanghwamun Station. The road in front of Gyeongbok Palace was called Yukjo Street because of various government offices, and it is today's Sejong-daero. As the road was the central street of the nation, the Yukjo Street was constructed almost the same width as the current Sejong-daero street. Currently, Gwanghwamun Square is installed in the center of Sejong-daero. Nearby are Cheong Wa Dae, the Constitutional Court, the Government Complex in Seoul, the Embassy of the United States Forces Korea and the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, and the streets of Insadong are quite close to Gyeongbok Palace.


The nightly Gyeongbok Palace was opened to the public for the first time in 615 years, hoping for a successful hosting of the G20 summit in 2010. As it became popular, the Cultural Heritage Administration divided it into the upper and lower half of each year and regularized it twice a year (ten days a year). In the second half of 2013, the company plans to expand the opening of the night to four times a year (48 days a year). The opening hours are from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., and the closing time for entry is from 9 p.m., one hour before the end of the tour. The opening range is Gwanghwamun, Hongryemun, Geunjeongmun, Geunjeongjeon and Gyeonghoeru districts, which are about 40 percent of the total area of Gyeongbokgung Palace and cost 3,000 won for admission.




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