Hanyang and Gyeongbokgung Palace

Gyeongbokgung opened in 1395 with about 390 kan (bays between pillars), and its name comes from a line of the Book of Songs wishing the king "great blessings".

Seoul has been the capital of Korea for more than six centuries, and the choice goes back to King Taejo. Soon after founding Joseon he decided to leave Gaegyeong, the old Goryeo capital, where the great families of the previous dynasty were rooted. After surveying several sites, the court settled on Hanyang on the Han River, and the move took place in the tenth lunar month of 1394. In 1395 the city was renamed Hanseong, though Hanyang remained the common name.

A city drawn on a plan

Hanyang was laid out according to Confucian ideas about how a royal capital should look. The main palace sat in the north, facing south, with the mountain Bugaksan behind it. To the king's left as he faced south, which is east, stood Jongmyo, the shrine for royal ancestors. To his right, the west, stood Sajik, the altar for the gods of earth and grain. Markets and offices lined the broad street running south from the palace gate. Mountains surrounded the basin, and a stream flowed east through the middle of the city.

Building Gyeongbokgung

Work on the main palace began right after the decision to move, and it was finished in 1395. The first palace was modest, with about 390 kan, a Korean unit for the bay between two pillars. Its halls stood along a central axis in a symmetrical layout: the throne hall for state ceremonies at the front, the council hall where the king met ministers behind it, and the living quarters at the back.

Walls and gates

In 1396 the city was enclosed by a wall built along the ridges of the four surrounding mountains. It was first made partly of stone and partly of earth, and under King Sejong it was rebuilt entirely in stone. The National Institute of Korean History gives its length as about 18 km. The wall had four great gates, Heunginjimun in the east, Donuimun in the west, Sungnyemun in the south and Sukjeongmun in the north, plus four smaller gates.

Burned, left empty, rebuilt

Gyeongbokgung did not have a quiet history. When Japanese armies invaded in 1592 the palace burned to the ground, along with Changdeokgung and Jongmyo. After the war the court rebuilt Changdeokgung instead, and Gyeongbokgung lay in ruins for about 270 years. In 1865 the regent Heungseon Daewongun began rebuilding it on a larger scale, the work was completed in 1867, and King Gojong moved in the next year. Much of it was torn down again during Japanese rule, and restoration has continued since 1991.