Gyeongbokgung Palace, Seoul

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Experience the changing of guards ceremony or stroll through the expansive palace grounds.

Much more interesting is the Folk Museum in the grounds showcasing the daily lifestyle and culture of the Koreans. Interesting videos play the ceremonies and culture of the days gone by.

Gyeongbokgung Palace is the primary Palace of Joseon Dynasty and it is the Korea's representative cultural asset. The founder of the palace was King Taejo. King Taejo established the Jaseon Danysty in 1329 and built the palace in 1395. In the 25th year of King Seonjo ( 1592), the pLace was burnt down during the Japanese Invasion and was left ruins for 273 years. Want to know in more detail? just visit it. here are some direction.

Tickets
Adult ( 19 - 64 yrs) - 3000 won
Youth (7 - 18 yrs) - 1500 won
under 6 and over 55 - Free admission.

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Gyeongbokgung ( 경복궁) is the main palace in Seoul and sits in the heart of the city. It was constructed in 1394, but like most other historic sites in Korea, it has been destroyed by the Japanese 2 or 3 times. The pavilion that is surrounded by water on the west side of the palace (called the Gyeonghoeru Pavilion) appears on the back of the Korean 10,000 won note. A key draw at Gyeongbokgung is the changing of the guard ceremony which occurs several times a day.

Cheong Wa Dae, or the Korean President's "Blue House," sits to the rear of Gyeongbokgung, and on the original grounds of the ancient palace. It was established as the Korean president's residence in 1948. Gyeongbokgung also houses the National Folk Museum which can be visited with the same ticket for the palace.

When the Japanese occupied Korea, they constructed their governor-general's house in the middle of Gyeongbokgung to show their superiority over the Korean people. After the Japanese departed, the Koreans used this building as their national museum, but it was finally torn down in 1993 to restore the palace to its original glory. Unfortunately this meant the national museum had no home, until the Americans gave up some land at the Yongsan Army Garrison south of Namsan. The new National Museum finally opened around 2005.

Admittance to Gyeongbokgung is 3,000 Won for foreign adults.

Each November, there is a re-enactment of the traditional ceremony to pray for a good silk work harvest held at Gyeongbokgung.

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This is the largest palace in Seoul so I understand. Some areas were being restored when I was there and were closed, but even so, it was still very extensive. We visited on a National Holiday - the Lunar New Year - so there were tons of people and many in traditional dress and many playing traditional games, even though it was bitterly cold.

I tend to pay more attention to people and things than I do to history so I recommend if you want to know more about the palace, see their official web site for details! I've included the link below. As for me I enjoy the people and the sights, as you will see from my pictures.

I like to show a different side to places I visit than the pictures that you see on official sites or post cards, so in my pictures you won't see what you see on other sites!

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This great palace, also spelled "Gyeongbokgung", is the largest of Seoul's five palaces. Lee Seong-Gye, founder of the Joseon Dynasty, built it in 1395. It served as the main royal palace for nearly 200 years. That is, until the Japanese invasion of 1592, when it was burned to the ground.

In the 1860s, restoration was begun. However, during the Japanese occupation of the early 20th century, they were mostly destroyed or moved. The Japanese occupiers also built a huge administration building (the Seokjojeon building) in front of the palace. It was their way of "dissing" the Koreans. After World War II, and Korean independence, it became the National Museum of Korea. Today, that museum is housed in a new building.

Restoration was resumed recently, and continues to this day. The parts that have been restored are certainly impressive.

This palace is established in 1395 and fine example of Joseon Dynasty architecture.

It was twice destroyed by the Japanese and rebuilt. Hence epitomize the Korean strength and spirits.

Open daily closed on Tuesday.

There is guided tour in Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese.

Definately a must see while in Seoul. You can catch the changing of the guard daily. The palace is quite big and impressive though I personally don't think it's the most beautiful. It's all been renovated so it has a newness about it. It's worth visiting, but if you have time check out some of the other palaces as well.

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With all the excitement visiting the palace, there are so many places within the palace. The beautiful palaces in the Gyeongbokgung Palace itself...... makes the trip worth it!
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Very much like those of the western counterpart, these have elaborate costumes on them! It's hard to take a photo with them because 10 other people are thinking about the same thing!

I saw a Change of Guards ceremony outside of the Palace once on a Sunday. I wasn't too sure if this was done every week but the commentary was delivered in Korean, English, Japanese and Mandarin.

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This palace is within the city limits so it's quite convenient to get there on the Seoul Metro. It's spread out over a large area with the mountains in the background. On certain days of the year the have a procession at the palace. Just beside this palace there is a Museum as well.