Compared with Seoul's other palaces, Deoksugung is small and its layout feels unusual. That is because the site was not originally planned as a palace. It was a private residence belonging to the family of Prince Wolsan, an elder brother of King Seongjong. After Seoul's palaces burned during the Japanese invasions, King Seonjo returned in 1593 and stayed here, turning it into the temporary “Jeongneung-dong Palace.” It received the name Gyeongungung under King Gwanghaegun, but for a long time it was not the principal palace.
Why Gojong returned to Gyeongungung
Gojong fled to the Russian Legation in 1896 and returned to Gyeongungung in 1897. That same year he renamed the country the Korean Empire and was enthroned as emperor. Building Hwangudan Altar east of the palace to perform rites to Heaven also declared that he was the sovereign of an independent empire. From then on, Gyeongungung was more than a ruler's residence; it was the political stage of a new state.
Dragons and phoenixes, timber halls and Seokjojeon
On the ceremonial ramp and ceiling of Junghwajeon, dragons representing an emperor replace the phoenixes associated with a king. Walk farther and you reach Seokjojeon, a Neoclassical stone building completed in 1910. Traditional timber architecture and a Western masonry palace sharing one enclosure were not simply a mix of tastes. They expressed an attempt to secure both imperial legitimacy and the diplomatic language of a modern state.
After the name changed to Deoksugung
Gojong was forced to abdicate in 1907 and continued to live here, when the name Deoksu—wishing longevity for the former emperor—came into use. He died in Hamnyeongjeon Hall in 1919, and his death became one catalyst for the nationwide March First Movement. At Deoksugung, look beyond beautiful halls to the way the proclamation and the frustration of an empire occupy the same space.