Deoksugung
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Deoksugung (Template:Korean), also called Deoksu Palace or Deoksugung Palace, is a former royal palace in Seoul, South Korea. It was the first main palace of the 1897–1910 Korean Empire and is now a major tourist attraction. It has a mix of traditional Korean and Western architecture that reflects its history.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Inside the palace are the Daehan Empire History Museum and National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Deoksugung branch.
The palace was first used as a temporary palace by King Seonjo during the 1592–1598 Imjin War, when the other palaces had been destroyed. In 1611, it was made an official palace named Gyeongungung. The palace then went largely unused until the late 19th century.
In 1897, Gojong declared the creation of the Korean Empire and made Gyeongungung the empire's main palace. He attempted to make the palace a symbol of Korea's efforts to modernize. He rapidly expanded it by acquiring land from nearby properties and constructing new buildings in both Korean and Western styles. Under his tenure, the palace's major buildings Junghwajeon and Seokjojeon were constructed. Despite his efforts to keep Korea independent, he was forced to abdicate in 1907 and Korea was colonized by Japan in 1910. He lived in the palace until his death in 1919. After Gojong's death, the colonial government moved quickly to sell off and dismantle the palace's property. By 1930, 18 of the original buildings were left. In 1933, the palace was made a public park. In 1938, a West Wing was constructed for Seokjojeon, and together the two buildings became the Template:Ill. After these efforts to open the palace to the public, just 8 of the original buildings remained.
Even for decades after the 1945 liberation of Korea, the palace continued to function as a public park, with some public works projects further altering or decreasing the size of the palace. One scholar estimated the palace's current size to be 1/3rd of its peak size. Efforts to restore its pre-colonial appearance began in the 1980s. In 2004, a comprehensive plan to restore aspects of the palace was enacted. As part of this plan, a number of buildings and structures have been recreated or moved back to their original pre-colonial spots based on historical research.
HistoryEdit
Joseon periodEdit
The site the palace now occupies once contained the tomb of Queen Sindeok, second wife of the Joseon founding king Taejo (Template:Reign). During the reign of Taejong (Template:Reign), the tomb was moved elsewhere. Grand Prince Wolsan, the elder brother of King Seongjong, constructed his residence in the area.<ref name=":0">Template:Citation</ref> In the early stages of the 1592–1598 Imjin War, King Seonjo fled Seoul. In his absence, the palaces in the city were destroyed by fire.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Upon his return to Seoul in 1593, he stayed in the area, which was dubbed the Jeongneung-dong Haenggung (Template:Korean).Template:Sfn<ref name=":0" /> He would eventually die there.Template:Sfn
King Gwanghaegun then ascended the throne at the palace.Template:Sfn In 1611, Changdeokgung was adequately repaired, and Gwanghaegun moved over to that palace. He then upgraded Haenggung to a full palace and selected a new name for it: Gyeongungung (Template:Korean). He ordered that Gyeongungung's facilities be maintained so that it could be used as a secondary palace. Several months later, he moved back to Gyeongungung.Template:Sfn While repairing other palaces, he ordered that several of Gyeongungung's structures be disassembled and their materials used in other palaces.Template:Sfn In 1618, Seonjo's former wife Queen Inmok was forcefully confined in the palace.<ref name=":1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 1623, King Injo ordered that all buildings except for two in Gyeongungung be returned to their original owners.Template:Sfn
For much of the later Joseon period, Gyeongungung was considered to have lesser facilities, and thus went largely unused by the Korean royal family.<ref name=":0" /> It was renovated in 1679 and visited four times by King Yeongjo between 1748 and 1775.Template:Sfn An article in the Encyclopedia of Korean Culture argues it was otherwise disregarded to the extent of not appearing on a number of late Joseon maps.<ref name=":0" /> After the 1884 failed Gapsin Coup, various foreign missions were granted permission to be established around Gyeongungung. To its west was the Template:Ill and Template:Ill. To its north is the Embassy of the United Kingdom.<ref name=":0" /> In 1893, the Korean monarch Gojong held a ceremony at Gyeongungung for the 300th anniversary of Seonjo returning to Seoul. Historian An Chang-mo (Template:Korean) argues that the palace held symbolism to Gojong as a place where the monarch stayed during a foreign invasion crisis.Template:Sfn
Korean Empire periodEdit
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After the 1895 assassination of the Korean Queen Min, the Korean monarch Gojong fled for safety in the Russian legation in early 1896.Template:Sfn Rather than return to Gyeongbokgung, where Min had been assassinated, Gojong chose to make Gyeongungung his residence for its proximity to the legations, which he believed could help protect him from Japan.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> At the time, the palace only had a small number of buildings.Template:Sfn Around a week after his arrival in the legation, he began ordering the renovation and expansion of Gyeongungung.Template:Sfn The first round of renovations were completed on September 28, 1896.Template:Sfn They then held a state funeral for Min, whom was posthumously dubbed Empress Myeongseong, wherein her remains were transferred from Gyeongbokgung to Gyeongungung.Template:Sfn On February 20, 1897, Gojong left the Russian legation and moved into Gyeongungung.Template:Sfn That year, he ordered road infrastructure around the palace be significantly reconstructed.Template:Sfn After crowning himself emperor at a ceremony at the nearby Hwangudan, on October 13, 1897, he officially proclaimed the Korean Empire.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn
Gojong attempted to make the palace into a symbol of Korea's modernization efforts.Template:Sfn The palace grounds were expanded in three directions: north, west, and south. To the east was a major road and dense city.Template:Sfn The palace, unlike the previous main palaces in Seoul, was built and grew under the restrictions of being within a well-established city.Template:Sfn Land was purchased from various groups, but this was not always possible or easily done, especially when foreign land owners and consulates were involved.Template:Sfn Nearby buildings had height restrictions issued, in order to prevent them from looking over into the palace.Template:Sfn
On April 14, 1904, a major fire started in Hamnyeongjeon. While Hamnyeongjeon was Gojong's sleeping quarters, at the time he was at Gwanmyeongjeon while Hamnyeongjeon was undergoing repairs.Template:Sfn The fire destroyed most of the buildings,<ref name=":0" /> including Jungmyeongjeon, Seogeodang, and Jeokjodang, which had dated to the time of Seonjo.Template:Sfn A number of buildings on the north, northeast, and east side of the palace were spared from the fire. Numerous valuables were destroyed, with only some rescued. Most of Gojong's ministers and the Japanese minister advised Gojong to return to Gyeongbokgung, but Gojong refused.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Restoration work began the following day.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Repair costs were enormous and exceeded the total annual budget of the Korean Empire.Template:Sfn By 1905, the buildings Jeukjodang, Seogeodang, Gyeonghyojeon, Jungmyeongjeon, Heummungak, and Hamnyeongjeon were rebuilt. A number of these were built smaller than their original form. The gates Junghwamun and Jowunmun were also completed in that year. In 1906, the main building Junghwajeon and main gate Daeanmun were both completed.<ref name=":0" />
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Homer Hulbert's rough map of the palace and the damage the fire caused. Buildings with diagonal lines through them were unaffected by the fire.Template:Sfn
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Drawing of the fire (1904)Template:Sfn
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Smouldering ruins of Junghwajeon after the fire (1904)
In 1907, Gojong was made to abdicate in favor of his son, Sunjong.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn In August 1907, Sunjong's coronation ceremony was a relatively simple affair held at Dondeokjeon.Template:Sfn<ref name=":0" /> Afterwards, Sunjong used Changdeokgung as his primary palace, possibly at the behest of the Japanese, who wished to isolate him from Gojong.Template:Sfn That year, Gyeongungung was renamed Deoksugung.Template:Sfn Gojong continued to live there in the building Hamnyeongjeon. In 1910, the building Seokjojeon was completed.<ref name=":0" />
Colonial periodEdit
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In May 1912, the adjacent road Taepyeongno was made to cut straight through the eastern side of the palace.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn The gate Podeokmun, its adjacent buildings, and the large plaza in front of Daehanmun were demolished.Template:Sfn The palace's eastern wall was pushed inwards. Numerous former guest houses for the palace became separate from the palace; these extended into what is today Seoul Plaza.Template:Sfn
The death of Gojong in 1919 was a significant turning point for the palace.Template:Sfn The palace was managed by the Office of the Yi Dynasty,Template:Sfn although the royal family ceased using the palace significantly.<ref name=":22">Template:Citation</ref> The Government-General of Chōsen began downsizing, dismantling, and selling off portions of the palace.Template:Sfn The Seonwonjeon area, in the northwest of the palace,Template:Sfn was the first to be dismantled and sold off; two schools were built in its place by 1923.Template:Sfn By 1930, there were 18 of the original palace buildings left.Template:Sfn
In May 1931, the Office of the Yi Dynasty announced that Template:Convert of Deoksugung would be turned into a public park called "Central Park" (Template:Korean).Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn After around a year of construction work, it was opened to the public on October 1, 1933. Ten buildings were removed from the palace.Template:Sfn The remaining former guest houses that were separated from the palace during Taepyeongno's expansion were demolished in 1933.Template:Sfn Plans were created for a swimming pool in place of Dondeokjeon, which could be used as a skating rink during the winter. The plan was deemed too offensive to the legacy of the palace, and was scrapped.Template:Sfn Alterations to the palace during this process were among the most significant in the palace's history.Template:Sfn A water feature was moved from another palace Changdeokgung to the garden in front of Seokjojeon.Template:Sfn The gardens of the palace were significantly renovated; only a few trees and decorative elements have persisted until the present.Template:Sfn Numerous peonies were planted in the park. These became a popular attraction during the colonial period and even after the liberation. They were replaced in 1985 with pine trees and azaleas after it was determined they were a product of the colonial period.Template:Sfn
In 1933, Seokjojeon was converted into the Seokjojeon Art Museum.Template:Sfn From 1936 to 1938, a three-story West Wing building for Seokjojeon was constructed. Together, these buildings became the Template:Ill.<ref name=":42">Template:Citation</ref>
After the aforementioned projects, just eight of the original buildings were left.Template:Sfn
Post-liberationEdit
Soon after the 1945 liberation of Korea, the Yi Royal Family Art Museum renamed itself to the Deoksugung Art Museum.Template:Sfn In March 1946, the United States Army Military Government in Korea seized Seokjojeon and designated it as the offices of the Template:Ill. They held a major meeting there on the issue of Korean reunification on March 20, 1946.Template:Sfn The returning Korean Provisional Government used the building for a number of its meetings.Template:Sfn The joint commission was dissolved in October 1947.Template:Sfn
During the 1950–1953 Korean War, the palace was largely spared from war damage,Template:Sfn although Seokjojeon's interior was destroyed by fire.<ref name=":0" /> During the Second Battle of Seoul, North Korean soldiers amassed in the palace. U.S. lieutenant James Hamilton Dill persuaded his superiors to not shell the palace because of the palace's cultural heritage.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":11">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 1996, after this story came to the attention of the South Korean government, he was awarded a plaque of gratitude.<ref name=":11" />
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In 1961, a project to expand the nearby road Taepyeongno affected the palace. The palace walls were torn down and replaced with a see-through fence. In 1968, the walls were further pushed back during another road expansion program. Daehanmun was initially not pushed back along with the wall, and stuck out into the road.Template:Sfn From August 1970 to January 1971, the gate was moved west into the wall, to its current location.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Beginning in the 1980s, efforts began to be made to restore the palace to its pre-colonial state.Template:Sfn In 2004, a plan for this, entitled the Deoksugung Restoration and Maintenance Basic Plan (Template:Korean), was drafted.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn As part of these efforts, Jungmyeongjeon was restored in 2009, Seokjojeon was restored in 2014, and Gwangmyeongmun was moved back to its original location in 2018.Template:Sfn
An Chang-mo argues that the current Deoksugung is around a third the size of its peak size.Template:Sfn
Current landmarksEdit
East sectionEdit
DaehanmunEdit
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Template:Ill (Template:Korean) is the current main gate of the palace and located on the east side of the complex. It was originally called Daeanmun (Template:Korean). It was completed in 1898.Template:Sfn The original main gate was Inhwamun, but that gate declined in use and status compared to Daeanmun. In 1900, Daeanmun was made the official main gate.Template:Sfn The gate was destroyed in the 1904 fire and rebuilt in 1906.<ref name=":0" /> On April 25, 1906, it was renamed to Daehanmun and made the main gate.Template:Sfn Its new nameboard was written by Template:Ill. The gate was moved inwards towards the palace in 1914 during a road expansion project. It was moved again in 1970 to its final location. It is decorated with dancheong decorative coloring and statues of various beasts.<ref>Template:Citation</ref>
GwangmyeongmunEdit
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Gwangmyeongmun (Template:Korean) is the main gate to the south of the king's sleeping quarters Hamnyeongjeon.<ref name=":3">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It was completed in 1897 and destroyed by the 1904 fire. It was reconstructed later that same year. It was moved in 1938, upon the expansion of Seokjojeon and the establishment of the Template:Ill.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It was used as an exhibition hall for national treasures such as the water clock Borugak Jagyeongnu and Template:Ill.<ref name=":3" />Template:Sfn It was moved back to its original location at the end of 2018 in anticipation of the 100th anniversary of the 1919 March First Movement.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
HamnyeongjeonEdit
Template:Ill (Template:Korean) is a building that was used as Gojong's sleeping quarters.<ref name=":10">Template:Citation</ref> The building was originally completed in 1897 but was destroyed in the 1904 fire. It was the ondol system of this building that caused the 1904 great fire.Template:Sfn It was rebuilt by December that year,<ref name=":10" /> with the new building in an L-shape instead of the original rectangular form.Template:Sfn Gojong died in this building on January 22, 1919.<ref name=":10" /> The building was used as Gojong's funeral home and his spirit tablet was kept here.Template:Sfn The building's layout and style is typical with other Korean palaces. There are windows on all sides of the building. It has an ondol traditional floor heating system.<ref name=":10" />
DeokhongjeonEdit
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Deokhongjeon (Template:Korean) is a hall next to and just west of Hamnyeongjeon. A different building on this spot was originally called Gyeongsojeon (Template:Korean). After Empress Myeongseong's death, the hall was renamed Gyeonghyojeon (Template:Korean) and began to be used as her honjŏn (Template:Korean), or ancestral spirit hall. The building was destroyed in the 1904 fire. The empress's spirit tablet was moved elsewhere thereafter and did not return even after another building was rebuilt on this spot in 1912. That building was called Deokhongjeon, and used as an audience hall for Gojong.<ref>Template:Citation</ref>
JeonggwanheonEdit
Template:Ill (Template:Korean) is an American-style brick building with a wooden porch.Template:Sfn It has Romanesque columns on the veranda and Korean-style elements in its roof.Template:Sfn It was built before February 1901 and was unaffected by the 1904 fire.Template:Sfn The building was used for a variety of purposes that possibly changed over time, including enshrining the portrait of King Taejo, a space for drawing royal portraits, and serving food during banquets.Template:Sfn The building was modified over time, but specific records of how and when it was modified on some occasions have been lost.Template:Sfn In the 1930s, its floor was changed from wood to concrete, its interior walls were removed to make it a single room, and its roof was changed to a Japanese-style architecture. In the 1960s, glass doors were installed in it and it was used as a cafe.Template:Sfn
Center sectionEdit
JunghwamunEdit
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Junghwamun (Template:Korean) is a gate to the front of Junghwajeon. It is built in a similar style to Junghwajeon.<ref name=":2">Template:Citation</ref> Like its counterpart, it was destroyed in the 1904 fire and rebuilt at smaller scale.<ref name=":0" /> It has three large sets of doors and is built on a stone pedestal. In front of it is a staircase divided into three sections, with stone beast statues in between east section.<ref name=":2" />
JunghwajeonEdit
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Junghwajeon (Template:Korean) is the main building of the palace. It was originally a two-story building completed in 1902.<ref name=":2" /> Construction on the building began relatively late compared to other structures in the palace. Gojong completed other portions of the palace first and purchased more land south of the palace before ordering its construction in 1901.Template:Sfn It was destroyed in the 1904 fire, and rebuilt as a one-story building that has remained to the present. The exterior is decorated with dancheong decorative coloring. The ceiling has two dragon statues that symbolize the emperor.<ref name=":2" /> It is visible from around the sides of its front gate Junghwamun; this was not its original appearance. A ring of buildings used to surround its front courtyard. These were demolished during the colonial period.Template:Sfn
SeogeodangEdit
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Seogeodang (Template:KoreanTemplate:Sfn) is a building that dated to Seonjo's time (before it was destroyed in the 1904 fire and rebuilt that same year).<ref name=":9">Template:Citation</ref> Queen Inmok was confined in this building in the 17th century.Template:Sfn It is one of the few surviving two-story buildings in the palace.Template:Sfn The stairs to the second floor are located in the west-most room.<ref name=":9" /> The upper floor is a single room. The lower floor has a signboard with calligraphy by Gojong.Template:Sfn
Junmyeongdang and JeukjodangEdit
Junmyeongdang (Template:Korean) is a building that was used to receive foreign envoys. It was originally completed in 1897 but destroyed in the 1904 fire. It was then rebuilt.<ref name=":8">Template:Citation</ref>Template:Sfn In 1916, the building was used as a kindergarten for the last Korean princess Deokhye.Template:Sfn The building is now in an L shape. It is equipped with an ondol underfloor heating system.<ref name=":8" />
Jeukjodang (Template:Korean) is a building that is adjacent to and connected with Junmyeongdang. It dated to Seonjo's time, before it was destroyed in the 1904 fire and rebuilt at smaller scale.Template:Sfn When Gojong first moved into Deoksugung, he used Jeukjodang as the main hall. He dubbed it Taegeukjeon (Template:Korean) and then Junghwajeon (same name as the later main building). After the construction of the larger main building, that building went by Junghwajeon and this building returned to using the name Jeukjodang.<ref>Template:Citation</ref>
West sectionEdit
Seokjojeon and West WingEdit
{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Template:Multiple image Seokjojeon (Template:Korean) is a neoclassical palace building that was completed in 1910. It was designed and furnished by British people.Template:Sfn<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Just months after its completion, Korea was formally annexed by Japan.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It continued to be used by the Korean royal family until Gojong's death in 1919.<ref name=":22"/> Afterwards it was used by Japanese dignitaries for a variety of purposes and its interior was altered.Template:Sfn It was used as an art museum beginning in 1933.Template:Sfn In 1938, a West Wing building was constructed for it. Together, these two buildings were used for the Template:Ill.<ref name=":22" />
After the 1945 liberation of Korea, the buildings were largely used as museums. In 1998, the West Wing became part of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Deoksugung branch.<ref name=":42"/> Beginning in the late 2000s, the main building began to be converted into a history museum. Efforts were made to restore the pre-colonial interior as accurately as possible. The Daehan Empire History Museum opened in 2014.<ref name=":32">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The garden in front of both these buildings was first completed in March 1913.Template:Sfn
DondeokjeonEdit
Dondeokjeon (Template:Korean<ref name=":0" />) was a French-style building constructed between 1902 and 1903.<ref name=":5">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A customs office used to occupy its spot.Template:Sfn It was used as a guest house and audience hall for dignitaries.<ref name=":6">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It did not burn down during the 1904 fire.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:Sfn Gojong used this hall frequently to receive guests and Sunjong ascended to the throne here.Template:Sfn It was demolished sometime between 1921 and 1926.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6" /> A children's amusement park was built in its place.<ref name=":6" /> Efforts began to reconstruct the building in the late 2010s. As the interior was poorly documented, rather than attempt to recreate the interior decorations (as they did with Seokjojeon), they made it into a museum. It was opened to the public on September 26, 2023.<ref name=":5" />
Outside current palace properEdit
JungmyeongjeonEdit
Template:Ill (Template:Korean) is the first Western-style building in the palace;Template:Sfn it was completed before 1897 under the name Suokheon (Template:Korean) and was originally a single-story building that possibly previously belonged to foreigners.Template:Sfn It was originally an imperial library.<ref name=":7" /> The building was destroyed in a November 16, 1901, fire and rebuilt;Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn the rebuilt form has two stories.Template:Sfn After the 1904 fire, it was temporarily used as Gojong's office.<ref name=":7" />Template:Sfn Around this time, he changed the name of the building to Jungmyeonjeon.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn In 1905, the infamous Eulsa Treaty was signed here.<ref name=":7" />Template:Sfn In 1906, the wedding between Emperor Sunjong and Empress Sunjeonghyo took place at this building. The building was once directly part of the palace complex but eventually became separate amidst a reduction in the palace's size during the colonial period. Afterwards, it was leased out to and used by a number of different entities. In 1925, a fire severely damaged its interior. It was eventually purchased by the Cultural Heritage Administration. In February 2007, it began to managed as a part of Deoksugung.<ref name=":7">Template:Citation</ref>
YangijaeEdit
Next to what is now the Embassy of the United Kingdom used to be two buildings that were part of the palace complex. The building Template:Ill (Template:Korean) still exists, although Hamhuidang (Template:Korean) was demolished. They were originally completed in February 1905 and meant to be used for educating the families of the elite. They ceased to be used for this purpose in October 1910, after the Japanese annexation.Template:Sfn In 1912, the Government-General of Chōsen asked that the royal family lease these buildings to the Seoul Anglican Cathedral. The buildings were purchased by the church outright in 1920. Both buildings were moved in 1927, with Yangijae moving to its current spot, and Hamhuidang was demolished in 1960.Template:Sfn
Former landmarksEdit
Seonwonjeon (Template:Korean) was an ancestral worship hall that was located in what is now outside and north of the palace. It was first completed in 1900 in the east side of the palace but was destroyed by fire on October 14 of that year. It was then rebuilt to the northwest side, and was completed on July 11, 1901. After Gojong's death in 1919, the building and its land was sold off to the public.Template:Sfn The building was demolished by 1925 and its ancestor worship materials were moved to Changdeokgung. Afterwards, a variety of buildings and clients occupied its former site.Template:Sfn Eventually, the residence of the chief of the Chōsen Savings Bank came to occupy the spot. That building continued to exist by 2024. Between 2002 and 2005, the United States Embassy planned to build a 15-story office building and 8-story apartment on the land, but this plan was thwarted by citizen protestors that thought the buildings potential eyesores and wanted to preserve the history of the plot. In 2024, it was opened as a public park.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The headquarters for the Board of Marshals was located in two buildings to the right of Inhwamun (the original main gate in the south). They had entrances both in and out of the palace. At least one of them was made of brick and was two stories tall. Photos of the buildings are sparse, so little is known of their appearance otherwise.Template:Sfn
There were three brick three-story watchtowers along the palace walls that looked to be built in Western style.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn
There were two overpass bridges (Template:Korean) at the palace. One connected the palace to the former German legation (some portion of that legation's land was purchased by the Korean government) and another led to another palace Gyeonghuigung. The bridge to the legation had a single arch; traces of its structure still remain on the walls of Deoksugung and on a Seoul City Hall annex building.Template:Sfn
Inhwamun (Template:Korean) was the original main gate of the palace and was located to its south. However, it led to a narrow and poor quality road. It declined in use and status compared to Daeanmun. In 1900, Daeanmun was made the official main gate.Template:Sfn Inhwamun was demolished and its materials recycled some time around 1900 to 1902.Template:Sfn It was possibly located around the current location of Junghwamun.Template:Sfn
Jowonmun (Template:Korean) was a gate constructed to complete the traditional three-gate system (where visitors must pass through three gates to arrive at the main hall) employed in other palaces. These gates for Deoksugung were, in order, Daeanmun, Jowonmun, and Junghwamun. It was built concurrently with Junghwajeon. It was destroyed in the 1904 fire and rebuilt in a different location, more to the east.Template:Sfn It was likely demolished in 1913, during the construction of an Office of the Yi Dynasty building. In 2019, it was reported that there were active plans to reconstruct the gate in the 2020s.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Guseongheon (Template:Korean) was a two-story Western-style building north of Seokjojeon, to the northwest of Junmyeongdang. Little is known about when and how it was built and when it was demolished. Its use is attested to in 1899 and 1907 records.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn It had verandas with arches over them. Its entrance possibly faced to the north, as there was a gabled roof on that side.Template:Sfn
ReferencesEdit
SourcesEdit
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External linksEdit
Template:Commons category-inline
- Visitor information (in English)
Template:Five Grand Palaces (Joseon) Template:Authority control