GYEONGBOKGUNG AND GWANGHWAMUN IN WINTER

     Gyeongbokgung or Gyeongbok Palace (Palace Greatly Blessed by Heaven) is located just before the Bugaksan Mountain with Mount Namsan on the foreground. The main entrance of the palace is the Gwanghwamun or the southern gate where we saw the Ceremony of Gate Guard Change. In front of it is the Yukjo-geori (Street of Six Ministries), now known as Sejongno, where major government offices are found.

Geunjeongjon

    The Geunjeongjon (Hall of Industrious Administration), where the King's throne is found, is immediately seen as you enter the 
Geunjeongmun. This is the biggest and most formal hall in the palace where large official functions were held. This has a big court yard made of stones. The aisle is said to be the place where officials line up before the king and the stone markers indicate where each official should stand. My husband and I wandered around with lots of tourists along the corridors of the court. We noticed the intricately designed wooden beams and posts that carry the tiled roof of the walkway as we followed the thick walls of the palace.

     We saw lots of halls and residences which reflects Korea's rich culture and it's people's patriotism in the solemn ambiance of Gyeongbok Palace.

     We passed by a big lotus pond, west of the King's residence,

with a banquet hall at the center. This is the Gyeonghoeru where the King threw feasts for his foreign guests and his officials. The frozen pond looks like a skating rink during winter. Walking around it took us to another vast land covered with trees which leads to a secluded area at the northwest, the Taewonjeon Shrine. It was where King Taejo's portrait was placed then used for other puposes like keeping the mortuary tablets and performing rites for the deceased.

      I imagined the officials taking their ride with horses with this long trek back to the middle part of the palace. We literally had to walk up and down the mountain to get from one area to another.

Our eyes were glued for several minutes on this beautiful structure in the middle of another pond. It is the Hyangwonjeong, meaning "Pavilion of Far-Reaching Fragrance". The small island where the pavilion was built is connected through a small bridge called Chwihyanggyo which means, intoxicated with fragrance. This garden was redesigned when the Geoncheonggung residence was built.

     Geoncheonggung played an important part in their history. Aside from being King Gojong favorite place where he and his

wife often stayed, this is where he  met ministers from United States, Great Britain and Russia to solve certain political issues during his reign. This was also where a two-storey library was built by a Russian architect, the first electric lights were installed, and where one of the bloodiest parts of history happened . Queen Myeongseong was murdered by Japanese assassins in 1895.

     My idea of a romantic walk with my husband inside the palace was wiped off by the gory and gloomy part of Korea's history. But, of course, it's a part of everything. Everything that Korea has become. I admired their patriotism more after this tour. From how I see it, they  have become a stronger nation with loyal citizens which will never be easily taken down by anything.

     That ended or palace tour, or so I thought. It's impossible to go back to Gwanghwamun Station since it would be a very long and tiring walk, so we looked for another gate. We passed by the National Folk Museum of Korea to get to the nearest exit. It's a shame that we didn't have enough time for that museum that afternoon because we had to head back, but we were able to go around the village and check out the zodiacs, totem poles, ox-drawn millstone and other traditional items.

National Folk Museum of Korea

Totem poles

     Across the street, after we got through the gate were some eye catching ads for another museum. One day is really not enough for this trip. We followed the walls and ended up at Gwanghwamun again. We crossed the street and explored Gwangwhamun Square. 

     Gwanghwamun Square is a view of Korea's excellent economy today and a glimpse of their past with King Sejong's and Admiral Yi Sun Shin's statues being surrounded by modern, towering buildings. This is where King Sejong, his officials and subjects mingled together. It was then known as the Yukjo Street of Joseon period, like what I've mentioned earlier. In front of his statue is a rain gauge and a sundial. I knew how to read a sundial since we also have some in parks back home but, honestly, I can't figure out how the rain gauge works.

     Not far from the sundial is Admiral Yi Sun Shin's Statue. As admiral, the famous naval commander led the fight when they were invaded by the Japanese in 1592. He made the Japanese fleet go back with his Geobukseon or Turtle Ship and was then called a hero by many Koreans. His life was ended in the Battle of Noryang by a stray bullet in 1598. He was given the title Chungmugong (Duke of Loyalty and Arts of Chivalry), posthumously.

King Sejong and the Air Gauge

The Sundial

Admiral Yi Sun Shin's Statue

Sky Scrapers of Gwanghwamun Square

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How to Get There:

Gyeongbokgung Station (Line 3), exit 5

Gwanghwamun Station (Line5), exit 2

Admission Rates:
adults   - 3,000 KRW
children- 1,500 KRW

Operating Hours:
June to August             - 9am to 6:30pm
March to May              - 9am to 6pm
September to October   - 9am to 6pm
January to February      - 9am to 5pm
November to December- 9am to 5pm