What do you think best represents South Korea? Most people may say Korean food, Korean traditional cloth named Hanbok and K-culture, especially K-pop. I know these are some of the things that represent South Korea. However, do you think one of these things is missing? It is the royal palace in the Joseon dynasty period. There are five major palaces in Seoul, including Gyeongbokgung which is the center of Joseon, Changdeokgung that is the royalty's pretty garden, Changgyeonggung which is named as the elegant palace, Deoksugung which other named as Gyeongungung, and Gyeonghuigung which is quiet and still. Among these beautiful palaces, three palaces will be introduced to you.

The oldest royal palaces are Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung. Gyeongbokgung was built in the period of Taejong. After he died, King Sejong usually stayed here with Jipheonjeon around. During the Japanese Invasion in South Korea in 1592, it was fired by the Japanese, but it was restored in 1867. After that, as the palace became the central palace of the Joseon dynasty, the palace was believed to have implemented strict rules.

▲ Gyeongbokgung which is the center of the Joseon

Changdeokgung was also built in the period of Taejong. The kings were mainly politicians and took care of the people at Gyeongbokgung, so it did not seem to have been used at first. After the Japanese Invasion in South Korea in 1592, it was first rebuilt after being burned down. Since then, it has played as the role of Judging, the most central palace in Joseon. Also, it has been considered as the palace that well represents the characteristics of Korean culture based on harmony with nature.

▲ Changgyeonggung which is named as the elegant palace

Lastly, Changgyeonggung was built in the period of Sejong. It was considered as the place where the royal ancestors stay, symbolizing the "filial piety" ideology of Joseon. Another feature is that the living place of the palace is very developed.

▲ Changgyeonggung which is named as the elegant palace

To give more information, there is an opening at night in Gyeongbokgung and Changgyeonggung. You can book the tickets for them on the Internet and in Changgyeonggung, you can enter there from 19:30 to 22:00 until August. Moreover, Gyeongbokgung's opening at night time is the same as Changgyeonggung. People can easily visit the palaces at noon, but not at night. They must know that the sceneries of these palaces at night are very beautiful and gorgeous.

▲ The gorgeous scenery of palace`s opening at night

Jun.10th, by Taehee Lim