Gwanghallu Garden's beginnings weren't grand. In 1419, the first year of King Sejong's reign, Hwang Hui — who would later become one of Joseon's most celebrated chief ministers — built a modest pavilion called Gwangtongnu while living in exile. It was a simple retreat meant for enjoying the scenery during his banishment, nothing like the grand complex that stands there today.
The pavilion's fate changed twenty-five years later. In 1444, the 26th year of King Sejong's reign, the scholar-official Jeong In-ji renamed it Gwanghallu, after Gwanghancheongheobu — the mythical lunar palace where the Jade Emperor was said to reside. In 1461, a man named Jang Ui-guk diverted water from the Yocheon River to dig a large pond in front of the pavilion, and built the Ojakgyo (Magpie Bridge) across it — a direct reference to the legend of the weaver girl and cowherd who are allowed to meet only once a year, crossing a bridge of magpies over the Milky Way. With the pond symbolizing the Milky Way and the bridge crossing it complete, Gwanghallu became more than a pavilion — it became a garden containing an entire cosmos in miniature. It was against this exact backdrop, later in the Joseon period, that the Tale of Chunhyang was written — the story of Yi Mong-ryong and Seong Chun-hyang meeting at this very spot. Today, Gwanghallu Garden — 63 years after being designated a Treasure in 1963 — was elevated to National Treasure status in July 2026. A modest pavilion built by an exiled official grew, across several changes of dynasty and era, into the setting of the love story Koreans hold dearest.