Deoksugung Palace

The Deoksugung is probably my favorite of Seoul’s palaces.

For starters, entrance is cheap — 1,000 won is all it takes, although this is less of concern for yours truly now that the Gyeongbokgung is letting hanbok-clad mammals in for free. At any rate, it made for a nice stroll when I was working just next door at the Chosun Ilbo.

Secondly, it’s the focal point of Seoul’s Jeongdong neighborhood, one of my favorite places in Seoul owing to its large number of historic buildings from the late Joseon-Daehan Empire period. Much of the intrigue that characterized that tragic but fascinating period of Korean history took place within the confines of the Deoksugung’s stone walls.

Lastly, no other palace in Seoul is quite so as eclectic architecturally. The Deoksugung is virtually two palaces in one — a Korean traditional complex blessed with numerous examples of late-Joseon palace architecture, and a Western-style palace complex complete with two imposing neoclassical structures and Korea’s first Western-style garden.

Junghwajeon Hall

The main throne hall of the Deoksugung is the Junghwajeon Hall, which was rebuilt in 1904 after a fire burnt down much of the palace that year. You can see the hall above, along with the Western-style complex in the background.

You’ll notice that unlike Seoul’s other palaces, Deoksugung is very much one with the city. One reason King (later Emperor) Gojong chose to reside here was that it highlighted Seoul’s status as a capital of an independent nation.

Seokjojeon Hall

This is the Western-style palace complex, with the Seokjojeon to the right and the Seokjojeon West Wing (a.k.a. the National Museum of Contemporary Art) on the left. Unlike the rest of the palace, which is aligned in a southernly direction, the Western part faces slightly southeast.

Until recently, the Seokjojeon Hall had been covered with a big tarp thanks to ongoing restoration work. Although restoration work has yet to be completed, the ugly tarp has been removed, allowing yours truly to snap away at this beautiful building.

The Seokjojeon, like the rest of the palace, had an eventful history.

Construction began in 1900, and was finally completed in 1910. Construction of the building was originally pushed by a Briton, Sir John McLeavy Brown, who was at the time serving as financial adviser to the Korean Imperial Government (more specifically, he was Inspector General of Customs, a post created in 1882 that, like the head of the Chinese Maritime Customs Service, was always given to a Westerner). It was originally supposed to be built in the Gyeonghuigung, but Brown insisted on its present location within the Deoksugung, quite possibly because it was right next to the British Legation (and back then, the palace had a western gate directly facing the front gate of the legation).

Oddly enough, both the head of the Chinese Maritime Customs Service, Robert Hart, and Brown (who was sent by Hart) were Irishmen, meaning that at a time when Irishmen were unable to decide matters in their own country, two Irishmen controlled the finances of the Qing and Daehan empires. Go figure.

Anyways, Brown entrusted the design of the building to a compatriot, G. R Harding, while the interior was designed by another Briton by the name of Lovell. Material and equipment for the job were imported from, surprisingly, Great Britain.

In 1905, however, Japan won the Russo-Japanese War, so out went the Western advisers (unless your name was Stephens) and in came the Japanese. As chief financial adviser to the Emperor, Brown was replaced by Baron Megata Tanetaro, the Harvard-educated father of Japan’s modern tax system. Megata was awarded construction rights for the Seokjojeon upon receiving his appointment.

Likewise, the supervising architect position changed hands frequently — it started with Korean architect Sim Ui-seok, and then passed to Russian architect Aleksey Seredin-Sabatin, a Japanese by the name of Ogawa, and finally a Briton, M. H. Davidson.

The result, in the end, was a grand, if perhaps a bit out-of-place, imperial residence built in the neoclassical style so beloved by 19th century white folk. You’ll kindly take note of the Ionian columns. The interior, meanwhile, was apparently done up in Rococo style, although I couldn’t confirm the current state of the interior as the building is still closed and it’s been a while since I’ve actually went in.

The first floor (actually a half-basement) was used by imperial servants, while the second was an imperial audience hall. The emperor, meanwhile, resided on the third floor.

As far as I know, however, a sitting emperor never lived in the Seokjojeon. The Japanese forced Emperor Gojong to abdicate in 1907, before the completion of the building, and his son, Emperor Sunjong, moved to the Changdeokgung upon his coronation. Which means the place ended up being a really nice retirement home for Gojong, who remained in the Deoksugung until his death in 1919.

The Japanese eventually turned the Seokjojeon into an art gallery. After Liberation, it was the venue for the Joint American-Soviet Commission in 1945. After the Korean War, it became the National Museum of Korea, a role it served until 1986. It’s now part of the Royal Museum, which displays artifacts from the Joseon royal family.

Ooo… a balustrade.

OK, so now you’re probably a wee bit curious as to the flower on the facade. Well, it’s a plum flower, which became the symbol of the royal family following the Gabo Reforms of 1894 — see the homepage of the Jeonju Yi family.

Seokjojeon Hall, West Wing

Right next to the Seokjojeon, and in fact connected to it by a stone corridor, is the so-called West Wing of the Seokjojeon Hall, now the the National Museum of Art, Deoksugung.

The West Wing, designed by Japanese “colonial” architect Nakamura Yoshihei (who, if you don’t remember, designed the Cheondogyo Central Temple and the East Hall and West Hall of Choong Ang High School), was built in two short years between 1937 and 1939.

What was the rush?

Well, in 1933, the Deoksugung was opened to the public, and the Royal Household Museum (Korea’s first museum, originally located at the Changgyeonggung, was to be moved to the Seokjojeon. As it would turn out, however, the Seokjojeon instead became an art museum, which apparently ticked off the Korean royal family, who at this point had been integrated (at least officially) into the Japanese peerage system.

As an act of appeasement, the colonial authorities hurriedly constructed a massive western wing, which became the so-called Yi Royal Family Museum.

Like the east wing of the Seokjojeon, the west wing was built in neoclassical style, except with fancy-shmancy Corinthian columns (for an example of the remaining classical order style, Doric, check out the Salvation Army Headquarters).

In the background, of course, is the Seoul Museum of Art, formerly the Supreme Court of Korea and, going back even further, Keijo Court House during the colonial period. As I’ve said, Jeong-dong is a cornucopia of early modern architecture.

Seogeodang Hall

The Seogeodang Hall, rebuilt after the fire of 1904, is the only two-story building on the grounds of the Deoksugung. It’s also the most unpretentious, with its unpainted exterior that resembles more a private home than it does a palace structure.

Junmyeongdang and Jeukjodang

Two rather pretty buildings — connected by a wooden corridor — behind the Junghwajeon Hall.

Jeonggwanheon Pavilion

You’ve seen it before, but here it is again — the Jeonggwanheon Pavilion, designed by the omnipresent Aleksey Seredin-Sabatin in 1900. Part Korean, part Romanesque… all quirky.

The pavilion was used as an imperial R&R spot. In particular, it’s where Emperor Gojong enjoyed his cup of coffee. Coffee was introduced to Korea sometime around 1890 by Antoinette Sontag, the daughter-in-law Russian Consul to Korea Karl Ivanovich Weber and Korea’s first hotelier. Gojong, meanwhile, developed a taste for the coffee bean while he was hiding out in the Russian Legation following the assassination of Empress Myeongseong in 1895. He ended up liking it so much he kept drinking it even after he left the Russian Legation and took up residence in the Deoksugung. In 1900, he had Sabatin build him his own private the coffee house, which you see above.

Borugak Jagyeongnu

Hey, look everybody! It’s a Joseon-era water clock!

Hague Secret Emissary Affair Exhibit

Through Sept 2, the Jungmyeongjeon Hall (technically a part of the Deoksugung, but you need to walk up the Deoksugung doldam-gil to reach it — it’s across from Chungdong First Methodist Church) is hosting an exhibit on the Hague Secret Emissary Affair of 1907, when Emperor Gojong sent emissaries to the Second Peace Conference at The Hague, only to see their participation refused by the Great Powers. In retaliation, Japan forced Emperor Gojong to abdicate, and Korea’s fate was signed.

The Jungmyeongjeon, built in 1900, was a royal library/banquet hall for foreign envoys. It was designed by Seredin-Sabatin, and had the honor of being the first Western-style building built on the grounds of a Korean palace.

It’s only natural that an exhibit for the Hague Secret Emissary Affair of 1907 be held here — the Jungmyeongjeon Hall, after all, was where the Protectorate Treaty of 1905 was signed, making the disaster of 1907 possible.

The exhibit is worth taking a took at — I found the Japanese prints from the era quite fascinating.

A scene from the First Sino-Japanese War.

Japanese troops putting down Donghak rebels.

Don’t quite remember what exactly this is, but I believe it’s the attack on the Japanese Legation during the Mutiny of 1882.

And Last, But Not Least…

It’s our City Hall, still done up its Liberation Day finest.

Don’t forget the slideshow.