Visit to the Deoksugung Imperial Palace

This palace located in the center of Seoul, in front of the City Hall, was inhabited by various members of Korean royalty until the Japanese occupation of Korea at the beginning of the 20th century.

The buildings belonging to the complex vary in their construction, being some of untreated sugi wood, others of painted wood, and others of stucco. Some of them were also built in the western style.

In addition to the buildings there is an art museum, gardens and a statue of King Sejong the Great.

Deoksugung was originally the residence of Prince Wolsan, the elder brother of King Sejong the Great (1457/1494). The residence became a royal palace during the Japanese invasions of Korea after all the other palaces were burnt down in 1592, so King Seonjo was the first to use it as his residence. King Gwanghaegun was crowned on this site in 1608, so he decided to rename it Gyeongun-gung in 1611. After the official palace was transferred to the rebuilt Changdeokgung in 1618, it was used as an auxiliary palace for 270 years and renamed Seogung (Palace).

This palace today is open to the public under the Korea Cultural Heritage Administration and is in an excellent state of preservation.