Gyeongbokgung was the first royal palace built by the Joseon Dynasty, three years after the Joseon Dynasty was founded. Built in 1395, Gyeongbokgung was located at the heart of newly appointed capital of Seoul (then known as Hanyang) and represented the sovereignty of the Joseon Dynasty. The largest of the Five Grand Palaces (the others being Gyeonghuigung, Deoksugung, Changgyeonggung, Changdeokgung), Gyeongbokgung served as the main palace of the Joseon Dynasty.
The Turbulent History of Gyeongbokgung
Gyeongbokgung continued to serve as the main palace until the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592 – 1598), when all of the palaces were severely damaged. It was not until about 1868 that the palace was reconstructed and expanded to a 410,000 square meter complex with over 500 buildings. Gyeongbokgung flourished for several decades in this state until the Japanese once again demolished the palaces during their occupation of Korea (1910-1945). Most of the restored buildings were torn down, Gwanghwamun Gate was relocated and the Japanese General Government Building was constructed in front of the main area of the palace.
An effort by the Korean government has been ongoing since 1990 to rebuild and restore the buildings that were destroyed during the Japanese occupation. This 40-year restoration project aims to fully restore Gyeongbokgung Palace to its original form in the next twenty years. Currently, the palace is open to the public and houses the National Palace Museum of Korea and the National Folk Museum of Korea. Although only about forty percent of the buildings have been restored, there are still many beautiful things to see at the palace. Some of the palace highlights have been noted below
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