Palace guards clad in traditional uniform head toward Daehanmun, or Daehanmun Gate, of Deoksugung Palace for the changing of the guard.

The ancient ceremony is enacted to show visitors and tourists how palace guards changed shifts. The resounding sound of a drum alerts people to the start of the ceremony. Interestingly, the part of playing the drum is given to a tourist.

Three rounds of drum beats signal the beginning of a parade. Captain of the guards lead the throng of flag bearers, guards, and band members with authority and discipline. The procedure may appear simple, but they carry out the royal ceremony with solemnity, as it is a signature event of the Joseon royal court.

The Joseon era palace, the king’s personal residence and work space, symbolized the power of the royalty and the prestige of the kingdom. So the Joseon kings would renovate the palaces whenever they saw the need to strengthen their authority. This is why King Gojong’s father restored Gyeongbok Palace in the late Joseon Dynasty. The size and appearance of the palace represent the power of the king reigning at the time.

There are five royal palaces in Seoul – Gyeongbokgung Palace, Changgyeonggung Palace, Changdeokgung Palace, Gyeonghuigung Palace, and Deoksugung Palace. The five palaces show the ups and downs of Joseon’s royal authority. For instance, Deoksugung Palace was downsized as Joseon king’s authority waned in the later Joseon period. The palace saw all the glories and humiliations of Korea’s contemporary history. Today, Deoksugung Palace offers peaceful respite to city residents and visitors with the leaves of old gingko trees in the royal compound turning brilliant yellow in the fall.

Deoksugung Palace can be accessed from City Hall Station of subway lines 1 and 2. Find an exit leading to the palace and you’ll soon face Daehanmun Gate, the main gate of Deoksugung Palace. Today, people come and go to the palace through Daehanmun Gate, but it hasn’t always been the main entrance to Deoksugung Palace. Here’s Lee Sang-hee of the Deoksugung Palace information office.

The main gate of a palace should be in the south side of the compound. There used to be a large gate called Inhwamun in the south of the Deoksugung Palace compound. But after Hwangudan, an altar for royal rituals, was built, the center part of the palace was moved from the south to the east. During the Korean Empire years an expansive avenue was made in front of Daehanmun Gate after which Daehanmun Gate in the east served as the palace’s main entrance instead of Inhwa Gate in the south.

Daehanmun Gate was originally called Daeanmun or Daean Gate with the letter “an” meaning comfort in the place of “han.” But after the Deoksugung Palace fire of 1904 the gate was renamed Daehanmun, meaning the gate that opens the heavens. Deoksugung Palace is the smallest of the five royal palaces in Seoul. It wasn’t a permanent residence, but a temporary one for short stays by the royal family. Here’s cultural guide Hwang Eun-sook.

Deoksugung Palace was not originally built as a palace. During the 1592 Japanese invasion King Seonjo had to evacuate to Euiju. By the time the king fled from his home, the main Gyeongbok Palace, the secondary Changdeok Palace, and other royal residences were all destroyed. Having nowhere else to stay, King Seonjo used Deoksugung Palace as a temporary residence. Before that, Deoksugung Palace was a private home of King Seongjong’s older brother Prince Wolsan and his descendants. Then it was again vacated once King Seonjo moved into the reconstructed Changdeok Palace. So Deoksugung Palace had stood empty for 274 years.

So nobody had lived in Deoksugung Palace for 274 years. How did a palace that had been neglected for so long take up an important place in Korean contemporary history? That question can be found in the year 1897.

The year 1895 saw an unspeakable tragedy befall Korea. The queen of a sovereign nation was murdered by a group of assassins from another country. After Queen Myeongseong was killed by Japanese assassins, King Gojong, feeling he was in grave danger, fled to the Russian consulate to ask for protection and forge a strong alliance with Russia to deter Japan. Here’s cultural guide Hwang Eun-sook again to tell us more.

King Gojong stayed in the Russian consulate for about a year before moving to Deoksugung Palace. At the time, the Jeongdong district was an enclave of foreign officials and missionaries. There were British, German, French and Russian legations in the area, so King Gojong thought it was a good place to keep Japan in check and stay safe.

In February 1897 King Gojong moved into Deoksugung Palace and changed the name of the country to “Daehan” in October of the same year. Then he was coronated as emperor at the altar of Hwangudan. His ascension to the emperor’s throne was a proclamation that the Kingdom of Joseon was now an empire.

There’s the Westin Chosun to the southeast of Seoul Plaza and right next to the hotel is the Hwangungwu building. King Gojong’s coronation ceremony was reportedly held next to that building. Old records tell us that the ceremony was very magnificent, which indicated that Emperor Gojong wanted the world to know that his country was not a vassal state of China or Japan, but an independent nation. Japan didn’t like to be reminded of that, so Japanese colonial government subsequently tore down a part of the place and built a hotel. At first, it was called Joseon Railroad Hotel, which was changed to Chosun Hotel, and finally to the Westin Chosun of today. So today we only have the three-story building of Hwangungwu to remind us of that time.

Deoksugung Palace was a historically important place where the era of Korean empire began. But the country’s diplomatic sovereignty was taken away in 1905 when Japan forced the unfair Eulsa Agreement, essentially subjugating Korea to Japan. Two years later Emperor Gojong sent secret envoys to The Hague to inform the West of Korea’s dire situation, but Japan dethroned him after finding out about the clandestine attempt. Korea’s humiliation crested when Japan colonized Korea in 1910 after which the royal authority and Deoksugung Palace were left in ruins.

At the time Deoksugung Palace measured three times larger than the current area and housed more than ten times more buildings than now. The whole compound was filled with large, elaborate buildings. Since the 1910 annexation of Korea, however, the rear part of the palace was sold off by the Japanese colonial government. The front of the palace also suffered reduction, as the construction and subsequent expansion of Taepyeong Avenue in front of Daehanmun Gate took away two-thirds of the land area from the compound.

The tour of Deoksugung Palace begins at Junghwajeon located in the innermost part of the compound. It is located beyond Junghwamun Gate, which lies past Daehanmun Gate and a small stone bridge called Geumcheon Bridge. Geumcheon Bridge can be found in all five royal palaces in Seoul. The bridge symbolizes the purification of mind and body for anyone who crosses the bridge to enter the king’s space. Junghwajeon is the main office of Deoksugung Palace. This was where Emperor Gojong held meetings with his government officials and important state functions like welcoming ceremonies for foreign emissaries. Here’s Lee Sang-hee from the Deoksugung Palace information office.

Junghwajeon was built in 1902 by Emperor Gojong. It was completely destroyed in a fire in 1904, but restored two years later. Before the fire the building had two floors, but it was reduced to one floor during the 1906 renovation. Emperor Gojong built this building in the traditional Korean style to strengthen the power of his empire and show off his authority.

Visitors can see the interior of Junghwajeon every Saturday from nine in the morning to four in the afternoon. Tour guides advise visitors to pay special attention to the throne. The throne features a roof-like cover where a pair of golden dragons is depicted to indicate the emperor’s esteem. A three-story stone building stands next to Junghwajeon. It’s called Seokjojeon, which used to serve as the office for Emperor Gojong.

Seokjojeon represents Emperor Gojong’s commitment to modernize the country. It was used as a reception hall for official state functions. Seokjojeon was designed by British architect G. R. Harding and completed in 1910. Emperor Gojong was resolved to strengthen regal power and modernize the empire. There weren’t that many stone houses in Korea. So it was shocking to ordinary Koreans to see such a big stone structure and in western style to boot. I think Seokjojeon is special if you look at it as the manifestation of Emperor Gojong’s strong desire for modernization.

It is evident that Emperor Gojong wholeheartedly pursued modernization from the fact that a western style structure was erected inside the royal palace compound. The first floor of Seokjojeon is comprised of waiting chambers for eunuchs and court ladies. The second floor housed the emperor’s office and the third floor his personal chambers. When Emperor Gojong passed away in 1919, the Japanese colonial government opened Seokjoheon as a garden, demeaning the authority of Joseon Dynasty.

Beside Seokjojeon stands a structure quite contrary in style to the westernized building of Seokjojeon. The traditional-looking building appears as a single building, but they’re actually two separate structures. One is Jeukjodang, a place where ousted king Gwanghaegun had his coronation ceremony, and another one is Junmyeongdang used as kindergarten for Princess Deokhye, Emperor Gojong’s daughter born of a concubine. Next to the twin buildings stands Seokeodang, the only surviving multilevel building in Deoksugung Palace. Its exterior is not painted in typically colorful palettes, lending it a modest feel, but this was the temporary quarter of King Seonjo during the 1592 Japanese invasion. Here’s cultural guide Hwang Eun-sook.

Seokeodang means a place where the king stayed. The king mentioned here is Joseon’s 14th ruler King Seonjo. This is also where he died after living an ordinary life in the years following the war. Unlike other royal residences, no multicolored paintwork adorns the two-story house. I think the building was not painted, because the king wanted to keep the decoration to the minimum after the country endured such a horrendous conflict.

Next stop is Hamnyeongjeon, the residence of Emperor Gojong in his last days. The emperor’s personal chamber was where he passed away in 1919 at the age of 68. Standing next to Hamnyeongjeon was Gyeonghyojeon, nowadays called Deokhongjeon, where the assassinated Empress Myeongseong’s memorial tablet was kept. Its proximity to the emperor’s chamber illustrates how deeply he missed his wife.

Empress Myeongseong’s memorial tablet was moved here from Gyeongbokgung Palace after King Gojong proclaimed the establishment of the Korean Empire. The empress’s funeral was held after a year and a half after her death. This is the interior photo of Deokhongjeon. It only shows a chandelier now, but at the time there were carpets, tables, curtains, and other western style fixtures. The floor was also made of stone and did not feature traditional Korean heating system of ondol.

The last stop in the tour is Jeonggwanheon, where Emperor Gojong enjoyed tea parties and entertainment. Its designer was Russian architect Aleksey Seredin-Sabatin, who combined traditional Korean designs with western architectural style to create this unique building in 1900. Jeonggwanheon is also the oldest modern building inside the compound. A sign says that Emperor Gojong often had coffee in this picturesque surrounding.

Deoksugung Palace still retains vestiges of Korea’s contemporary history from the turn of the 20th century. That is why you should not skip the tour of Deoksugung Palace, even though it is the most modest one of five royal palaces in Seoul.