Visit to the Korean Empire History Museum

This is the first Western-style stone structure built by King Gojong, the last king of Joseon, with the dream of becoming a modern nation! It's vivid when it was built 100 years ago!

Deoksugung Palace official site

http://www.deoksugung.go.kr/en/
Official Site Description
Now you can see the Seokjojen Hall, which means the stone house. As a Western style, it is not quite in harmony with the other buildings. It was designed by a British architect, Harding. In the case of the traditional buildings, each had its own purpose and a specific person who used it. But following the Western way of thinking, numerous uses wer contained in the one building. The first floor was a waiting room for servants, the second floor, a reception area, and the third, the residence of Emperor Gojong. However, the building was rarely used.
pic = @official site
After Korea gained its independence, a US-USSR joint commission was held here to discuss the establishment of the Korean government. After the Korean War, it became the National Museum and then the Royal Museum. Currently, it is undergoing restoration.

This Seokjojeon Hall of Deoksugung Palace was restored by the Korean Cultural Heritage Administration for five years from 2009 and opened in 2014! Would you like to go to Deoksugung Palace Seokjojeon Hall, which was reborn as the Korean Empire History Museum?

There is a building that stands out when you visit Deoksugung Palace. The palace, which has a quiet atmosphere, has a very different Western-style building, so it seems inevitable that the eyes will go.

The building, which stands out from a distance, is Seokjojeon Hall, a representative Western-style building of the Korean Empire in 1910. It was created as a power outage in the Imperial Kingdom of the Korean Empire, and it is said that the original shape was damaged a lot because it was used as a building for various purposes after the 1930s. After that, it was restored to its original form, and in October 2014, the Seokjojeon Hall of Korean Empire History was opened.

Tourist information

- Google map

- Address: 99 Sejong-daero, Jung-gu, Seoul
- Phone number: 02-771-9951
- Opening hours: 09:30~17:30 (Reservation required before visit, 8 times a day operation)
- Admission: Free (but Deoksugung Palace admission ticket must be purchased separately)
- Closed every Monday

Seokjojeon Hall was designed by British architect Harding as the Imperial Palace of the Korean Empire in 1898 and was completed in 1910. However, the inside was greatly damaged during the Korean War with Japanese colonial era. The restored Seokjojeon Hall consists of a re-reality and an exhibition room that reproduces the life of the imperial family of the Korean Empire. The first floor is a public space such as a central hall, reception room, large restaurant, and small restaurant. The walls, interior decorations, and fireplaces were restored to their original appearance and furniture was placed at the time of completion. The space that cannot be verified was used as an exhibition room to introduce the birth of Seokjojeon Hall, the ascension of the emperor of the Korean Empire, and diplomatic contents through videos and panels. On the second floor, private spaces such as the living room, bedroom, and attached room of the emperor and empress were recreated.

Seokjojeon Hall of Korean Empire History Museum consists of a total of three floors. On the ground floor, you can see an exhibition room containing records of modern reform and the introduction of new materials and restoration of stone exhibitions, and on the first floor, an audience room and a large restaurant where the royal family worked.

The ground floor exhibition room is open for free viewing, and you can see it from 9 to 18:00 and enter from 17:30. Instead, you can visit the first and second floors only if you make a reservation in advance on the website of Deoksugung Palace on the Internet. Compared to Gyeongbokgung Palace's Gyeonghoeru Pavilion, it is relatively easy to make a reservation, but it is recommended to make a reservation a week in advance to visit at the desired time.