Latest news with #Gojong
Korea Herald
13-04-2025
- Korea Herald
Gyeongbokgung royal library open for limited time
The royal library in Gyeongbokgung that served as King Gojong's study during the Joseon era (1392-1910) is open to the public for a limited time. Those visiting Jibokjae, a complex built in 1891 with two annex buildings, may read any of the 1,700 books about Joseon history and its royal family available there. The royal library is believed to have housed about 40,000 books, according to the Korea Heritage Service, the state agency overseeing historic artifacts and sites. The collection, which includes books on Western science and technology, is held at Seoul National University and the Academy of Korean Studies, a think tank run by the Education Ministry. Jibokjae, meaning a house of treasures, was a diplomatic outpost too, as King Gojong received US, UK, Austrian and Japanese envoys there. Such meetings took place at Hyeopgildang, a hall on Jibokjae's left. The hall had 'ondol,' the traditional Korean underfloor heating system. To Jibokjae's right is Palujeong, a pavilion that functioned as the king's study. Some of its features, such as the glass windows, render the building less characteristic of traditional Korean pavilions, according to the KHS. 'Palujeong looks very much personal, not like an open venue for banquets, which usually took place at pavilions,' a KHS official said. The complex is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through October, closing on Mondays and Tuesdays. It will also close in July and August due to the hot summer weather. It will be closed during the Chuseok holidays and on days when palace events take place. The 3,000 won admission ticket to Gyeongbokgung includes access to the library.
Korea Herald
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Seoul suspends cultural activities ahead of impeachment ruling
Major palaces, museums, destinations near Constitutional Court to close on Friday Yeongdeungpo-gu, a district in western Seoul, announced Wednesday that it will postpone the start of the annual Yeouido Cherry Blossom Festival from Friday to Tuesday, due to safety concerns surrounding the Constitutional Court's upcoming ruling on President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment. According to the district office, the decision was made to prioritize visitor safety and convenience, as well as to prevent crowd crushes. It added that a portion of the festival program will be reduced in scale. The revised festival period is to be April 8 to 12, with traffic control measures set to be implemented from noon on Sunday until 10 p.m. on April 13. Controlled sections include the 1.7-kilometer stretch of road behind the National Assembly and areas near the southern part of Sogang Bridge. Different cultural heritage events scheduled to take place on the day of the impeachment ruling have been canceled as well, according to the Korea Heritage Service. With large rallies expected near the court, not far from Seoul's main royal palaces, the KHS also canceled an event showcasing traditional Korean ways of making fermented pastes and sauces, known as 'jang,' the royal guard's ceremony at Gyeongbokgung, nighttime palace tours at Changdeokgung and Deoksugung's Seokjojeon -- the first European-style stone building, built during King Gojong's reign (1863-1907). Four of the five palaces of the Joseon era (1392-1910) — Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung and Deoksugung — and state-run museums such as the National Palace Museum of Korea and National Folk Museum of Korea have announced closures, saying protests anticipated on Friday could affect guest safety. Changgyeonggung, the farthest of the four palaces from the court, which is near Anguk Station in Jongno-gu, will close its nighttime tours only, though an official said daytime admission could be affected without prior notice. Museums and art galleries located within a 1-kilometer radius of the Gwanghwamun area have also decided on complete closure on Friday. Other sites popular with tourists to close include the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Seoul, National Museum of Korean Contemporary History, National Palace Museum of Korea and Cheong Wa Dae, the former presidential office now open to the public after Yoon moved the presidential office to Yongsan. While the Seoul Museum of Craft Art started its three-day break from Wednesday, Sejong Center for the Performing Arts will close its exhibitions on the day of the ruling. Whether the palaces and museums will remain closed after Friday remains unclear. Officials from the institutions said they would update the public on further changes to admission in a separate notice. Meanwhile, police previously vowed to block off the Constitutional Court and turn the surrounding area within a radius of 100 meters around the court into a 'vacuum state.' Authorities announced they will expand the initial 100-meter radius to 300 meters by creating barricades with police buses and preventing public access to areas near the court. Police are also considering the establishment of a separate buffer zone near Gwanghwamun and Insa-dong, two areas south of the Constitutional Court, to prevent physical confrontations between pro- and anti-Yoon demonstrators. The ruling is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Friday. It will be broadcast live from the court.
Korea Herald
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Seoul suspends cultural events, restricts tourism spots ahead of impeachment ruling
Major palaces, museums, destinations near Constitutional Court to close on Friday Yeongdeungpo-gu, a district in western Seoul, announced Wednesday that it will postpone the start of the annual Yeouido Cherry Blossom Festival from Friday to Tuesday, due to safety concerns surrounding the Constitutional Court's upcoming ruling on President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment. According to the district office, the decision was made to prioritize visitor safety and convenience, as well as to prevent crowd crushes. It added that a portion of the festival program will be reduced in scale. The revised festival period is to be April 8 to 12, with traffic control measures set to be implemented from noon on Sunday until 10 p.m. on April 13. Controlled sections include the 1.7-kilometer stretch of road behind the National Assembly and areas near the southern part of Sogang Bridge. Different cultural heritage events scheduled to take place on the day of the impeachment ruling have been canceled as well, according to the Korea Heritage Service. With large rallies expected near the court, not far from Seoul's main royal palaces, the KHS also canceled an event showcasing traditional Korean ways of making fermented pastes and sauces, known as 'jang,' the royal guard's ceremony at Gyeongbokgung, nighttime palace tours at Changdeokgung and Deoksugung's Seokjojeon -- the first European-style stone building, built during King Gojong's reign (1863-1907). Four of the five palaces of the Joseon era (1392-1910) — Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung and Deoksugung — and state-run museums such as the National Palace Museum of Korea and National Folk Museum of Korea have announced closures, saying protests anticipated on Friday could affect guest safety. Changgyeonggung, the farthest of the four palaces from the court, which is near Anguk Station in Jongno-gu, will close its nighttime tours only, though an official said daytime admission could be affected without prior notice. Museums and art galleries located within a 1-kilometer radius of the Gwanghwamun area have also decided on complete closure on Friday. Other sites popular with tourists to close include the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Seoul, National Museum of Korean Contemporary History, National Palace Museum of Korea and Cheong Wa Dae, the former presidential office now open to the public after Yoon moved the presidential office to Yongsan. While the Seoul Museum of Craft Art started its three-day break from Wednesday, Sejong Center for the Performing Arts will close its exhibitions on the day of the ruling. Whether the palaces and museums will remain closed after Friday remains unclear. Officials from the institutions said they would update the public on further changes to admission in a separate notice. Meanwhile, police previously vowed to block off the Constitutional Court and turn the surrounding area within a radius of 100 meters around the court into a 'vacuum state.' Authorities announced they will expand the initial 100-meter radius to 300 meters by creating barricades with police buses and preventing public access to areas near the court. Police are also considering the establishment of a separate buffer zone near Gwanghwamun and Insa-dong, two areas south of the Constitutional Court, to prevent physical confrontations between pro- and anti-Yoon demonstrators. siyoungchoi@
Korea Herald
21-03-2025
- Korea Herald
Seokjojeon nighttime tours open registration
Tours will run from April 8-May 25 after registration ends March 25 Online reservations for nighttime tours of Seokjojeon at Deoksugung, one of the five Joseon-era (1392-1910) palaces in Seoul, will run through March 25, at Ticketlink. On March 27, the Korea Heritage Agency will announce applicants to take part in the 90-hour tours, which will take palce three times a day between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. from April 8 to May 25. A guide will start off the tour introducing the history of Seokjojeon, a two-story hall built in 1910 as the first Western-style stone building in Korea. Coffee, tea and cakes will be served with an ensemble playing classical music. A mini-musical rethinking King Gojong's efforts to save his country from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule will follow. Gojong is the 26th Joseon king and the first emperor of the Daehan Empire. Tickets are 26,000 won apiece and each applicant can buy up to two tickets.
Korea Herald
01-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Royal signboard revealed to public after being lost for century
The signboard that hung on the now-gone royal Seonwonjeon Hall was unveiled to the public Thursday after the authorities brought the 19th-century historical artifact back to Gyungbokgung. The Korea Heritage Service and the government-affiliated Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation revealed the signboard at 10 a.m. at the National Palace Museum of Korea in Jongno-gu, central Seoul, located inside the main Joseon-era palace. The current location of the museum — where the signboard will be kept — is where Gyungbokgung's Seonwonjeon stood over 100 years ago. The authorities discovered the lost artifact had been put up for auction in Japan in 2023 and persuaded the owner to return it. Video game developer Riot Games funded the artifact's reacquisition as part of its project to protect the country's cultural assets since 2012. The wooden signboard bears the Chinese characters meaning "Seonwonjeon," referring to the Gyungbokgung Hall that was lost in the early 20th century. Seonwonjeon Hall was where portraits of past Joseon kings were hung, symbolizing the roots of the royal family and hosting the incumbent kings' rituals to their ancestors. The signboard is thought to have adorned the sacred hall some 150 years ago, and the writing on it is believed to be written by 19th-century royal official Seo Seung-bo. It was lost sometime after the Seonwonjeon relinquished its functions when King Gojong located his office and residence in 1897. The hall was dismantled afterward, and its parts were used for the now-destroyed Bakmunsa Temple in Jung-gu, Seoul, built in 1932 and dedicated to Japan's Resident-General of Korea, Ito Hirobumi. Authorities are unsure exactly how the signboard was lost and taken to Japan. The KHS plans to start the reconstruction of Seonwonjeon Hall in 2030, after the National Palace Museum is relocated to Sejong. The reclaimed signboard will adorn the rebuilt hall.
