Exhibition to shed light on 600 years of Changgyeong Palace history

연합뉴스 / 2025-09-26 10:21:34

▲ This photo provided by the Korea Heritage Service (KHS) shows the full view of Jibokheon Hall at Changgyeong Palace. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Sept. 26 (Yonhap) -- Changgyeong Palace, the only royal palace of the Joseon Dynasty that faces east, will open a permanent exhibition this month tracing its 600-year history, officials said Friday.

Built on the site of Suganggung, which King Sejong (r. 1418–1450) constructed for his father, King Taejong (r. 1400–1418), the palace was expanded and renamed Changgyeong by King Seongjong (r. 1469–1494) for three queens: Queen Jeonghui, Queen Ansun and Queen Sohye. For centuries, it served as a key royal residence, where many Joseon monarchs were born and raised.

During the Japanese colonial period, however, the palace was downgraded and transformed into a zoo and botanical garden known as Changgyeongwon, a symbol of the era’s cultural losses.

▲ This photo provided by the Korea Heritage Service (KHS) shows the Jibokheon Hall. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

The Korea Heritage Service’s Royal Palaces and Tombs Center and the Korea Heritage Agency said the exhibition, "Donggwol, Changgyeong Palace’s Time," will open Sept. 30 at Jibokheon Hall, adjacent to Yeongchunheon Hall. The exhibition will highlight the palace’s role as a royal residence, a site of state rituals and the living quarters of queens and crown princes.

It will also showcase photographs, documents and video materials detailing the palace’s degradation under Japanese rule and its restoration efforts after Korea’s liberation. Visitors will be able to view the interior of Jibokheon through glass walls and see a replica of the ceremonial attire of Princess Masako of Nashimoto, the last crown princess of the Korean Empire.

▲ This photo provided by the Korea Heritage Service (KHS) shows the Yeongchunheon Hall at Changgyeong Palace. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

From Sept. 30 to Nov. 16, Yeongchunheon Hall, usually closed to the public, will be specially opened. Visitors will also be able to experience a re-creation of a royal banquet held at the palace in 1848, based on the "Musinjinchanuigwe," through tablet computers.

The exhibition and programs are open without reservations from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.