Glimpse into Geoncheonggung

The public can now visit the Geoncheonggung Residence located inside Gyeongbok Palace in central Seoul from today until Sept. 18. Geuncheonggung Residence, built in 1873, was initially used to store calligraphy written by kings and their portraits.

When the palace buildings were reconstructed after the great fire of 1876, the residence is where King Gojong and Queen Myeongseong chose to reside from 1885 to 1896, a year after Queen Myeongseong was assassinated by Japanese forces. Geoncheonggung was eventually demolished between 1907 and 1909.

The Cultural Heritage Administration rebuilt the residence based on records found in historical materials in 2006. Although usually closed, the administration is opening the area up to allow visitors, from both home and abroad, to better understand Korea's royal palace culture. Visitors will be able to get a glimpse of what the king's office, the queen's living area, pictured above, and the court ladies' living area looked like at the time.

Geoncheonggung Residence is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day until Sept. 18 except Wednesdays when the palace closes. [CULTURAL HERITAGE ADMINISTRATION]

BY YIM SEUNG-HYE [yim.seunghye@joongang.co.kr]