Gyeonghui Palace (경희궁)

Gyeonghuigung (경희궁) is one of the Five Grand Palaces of the Joseon (조선) dynasty in Seoul. Admittedly, it is the least famous of them and has received the least attention online. I wouldn't even call myself an amateur photographer, let alone a photographer, but I'm including some photos so people will know what to expect. I also added a couple links at the bottom to other posts about this palace, with better photos.

Brief History

Gyeonghuigung was built in 1617 during the reign of King Gwanghaegun. It was originally called Gyeongdeokgung (경덕궁) and has also been referred to as Seogwol (서궐). It was renamed Gyeonghuigung in 1760 during the reign of King Yeongjo. Much of it has been destroyed over the years, so now there are only a few remaining structures.

 

Main Sites

 

Heunghwamun (흥화문)

 

Heunghwamun refers to the front gate of Gyeonghuigung. This gate was originally in a different location and moved to its present location in 1988.

 

Sungjeongmun (숭정문)

 

Sungjeongjeon (숭정전)

 

This is the main hall of the palace and was built in 1618. This hall was used by kings to arrange official ceremonies and was used by some of them for their inauguration.

 

 

In the background you can see and example of the famous Irworobongdo, a Korean folding screen with a painting of the sun, moon and 5 mountain peaks.

 

Jajeongjeon (자정전)

 

This is the Royal Council Hall and it was built between 1617-1620. It was mainly used by the king for conducting royal affairs.

Seoam (서암)

 

This rock, located behind Taeryeongjeon, was originally called Wangam (왕암) 'King's Rock' and is associated with the story of why King Gwanghaegun chose to have Gyeonghuigung built at this location. It was renamed Seoam in 1708 by King Sukjong.

 

Taeryeongjeon (태령전)

 

Starting in 1744 this structure became home to a portrait of King Yeongjo, which can be seen in this photo.

 

Japsang (잡상)

 

As with many of the Korean palace buildings, you will notice the earthenware rooftop figurines, called Japsang (잡상). Many of the characters are taken from the the Chinese classic Journey to the West; you can learn their individual names and see close-up photos of them here and read more about them here.

 

Geumcheon Bridge (금천교)

 

This bridge was built over the Geum stream in 1619, and can be found in front of the Seoul Museum of History. It was recently restored in 2001.

I hope that you found this brief introduction to Gyeonghuigung interesting and helpful. This palace is very conveniently located behind the Seoul Museum of History in Jongno-gu (종로구) and worth a visit if you are nearby. Additionally, it is usually considerably less crowded than the other palaces. As always, any comments are welcome.

More information about this Palace can be found here and here, including more photos.

Address: Sinmunno 2(i)-ga, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea

 

Korean Cafeteria Food

I was inspired to do this post by a girl in the UK who took pictures of her school lunches and rated them every day. You can find her blog, neverseconds, here. So I thought it would be fun to post some photos of cafeteria (구내식당) food that I have eaten in Korea. These photos will be from work cafeterias, not school ones, although I might try to get someone to take some school ones as well.

With rising food costs (especially in Korea), it's getting harder and harder to find good tasting, value for money meals. This is an area, however, where I believe Korea excels. This blog post will however be dedicated to cafeteria food. I will try to go to a couple different cafeterias in the next few months and post photos and descriptions of the food.

Cafeteria near my office

The food in the top row is rice (밥), fried kimchi and tofu (두부김치) and seolleongtang / ox bone soup (설렁탕). The bottom row is salad (샐러드), Korean lettuce salad (상추겉절이), and Korean potato pancake (감자전)

As for the the taste, I would say it was definitely above average for cafeteria food. Some of these dishes are among my favorites when it comes to Korean food, which I've eaten many times and many different restaurants. While it was obviously not the best Korean food I've had, for the price, they did a commendable job.

This meal cost 4,500 won (just over $4 USD). I usually pay 9,000 won for only seolleongtang at a restaurant.

I will add another meal to this post in the coming weeks.