Gyeongbokgung Palace is the largest and the most beautiful palace among the five palaces of the Joseon Dynasty. It was built in 1395 in the northern part of Seoul, South Korea.
During the Japanese Invasion in the year 1592 until 1598, the palace’s premises were once destroyed by fire. However, all the buildings in the palace were later restored during the reign of King Gojong.
The iconic points of interest in Gyeongbokgung Palace are:
Gwanghwamun Gate. This is the South Gate and is considered as the main gate in Gyeongbokgung Palace. The other gates are Heungnyemun (The Second Inner Gate), Geunjeongmun (The Third Inner Gate), Sinmumun (The North Gate), Geonchunmun (The East Gate) and Yeongchumun (The West Gate).
Geunjeongjeon Hall is the throne hall where the king of the Joseon dynasty formally granted audiences to his officials, gave national declarations and greeted foreign envoys and ambassadors. It survived both the Japanese Rule of Colonial Korea and Korean War, thus making it worthy to be part of South Korea’s national treasure – being listed as National Treasure No. 223.
Gyeonghoeru Pavilion is a hall where important and special state banquets were being held during the Joseon Dynasty. Like Geunjeongjeon, it survived both the Japanese Rule of Colonial Korea and Korean War. It is listed as National Treasure No. 224.
When visiting Gyeongbokgung, please note that it is close every Tuesday and its last admission is one hour before closing. The palace operates at different timings on various months:
November – February – Opens from 09:00am until 05:00pm
March – May – Opens from 09:00 until 06:00pm
June – August – Opens from 09:00 until 06:30pm
September – October – Opens from 09:00 until 06:00pm
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