Kerry's Korean Adventure: Deoksugung

On Wednesday (Chuseok), I went to Deoksugung Palace. It is a palace in the heart of Seoul. It was an easy bus ride and a taxi (about an hour). It is quite odd though, this beautiful palace and grounds, surrounded by sky rise buildings and the bustling of a city. It is also right next to city hall, which is presently decorated for the G20. The building is wrapped in pictures of people. I decided to become one (notice the picture I posted).

Conveniently located next to the palace grounds, is a Dunkin Donuts. I grabbed a hot chocolate and was on my way. The entrance gate is beautiful and is called Daehanmun. It is surrounded by a wall and is quite breathtaking when you walk through the gate. To top everything off, it was free!

A little history on the “Palace of Virtue and Longevity”: The palace was built during the mid-1400s as a private aristocratic villa for Prince Wolsan, but when the Japanese Hideyoshi invasions of the late 16th century left all of Seoul’s palaces burning, the villa was converted into a temporary palace until Changdeokgung became the new royal residence. It became a secondary palace when King Gojong moved in. Gojong lived here until he died in 1919. His son, Sunjong, reigned as a puppet emperor until the Japanese brought the Joseon dynasty to an abrupt end after more than 500 years. The palace was originally comprised of about 180 structures and over times, now is about one dozen buildings. The current palace has influences of russian and japanese arcitecture.

The throne in Junghwajeon Hall

Junghwajeon
The stone mythical creatures (haetae) next to me, are to protect the palace from fire.
In 1904, they must have fallen asleep, because the palace burnt down.

I enjoyed a self guided tour. It was very peaceful. The architecture and roof tiles are interesting to view. I enjoyed my hot chocolate, while I looked into buildings through their wooden screens. Surprisingly, there was not any furniture or displays set up in the buildings. So if you go, bring your imagination.

The Front Gate

I had arrived in the evening, so I unfortunately did not get to see the changing of the guards. I plan to attend this in the upcoming weekends. I would really enjoy the opportunity to witness this and compare it to the changing of the guards in London. I also would like to visit the art museum that is on the palace grounds.

Bronze Statue of King Sejong

After the visit to the palace, I went to a free concert in the city. It was right across from the palace! It was a Chuseok concert. They had drummers in the traditional colors of yellow and blue. They put on a great show. They twirled ribbons, balanced plates, and played along with an orchestra. The show also included traditional korean singers and a single drummer. One odd thing: Nobody brought chairs. They passed out little mats, to sit cross legged on.