20 Mar 2010, Posted by Matt in Historic Korea, Seoul, Video, 10 Comments

Deoksugung: Seoul’s Palace of Virtue

Built in the 15th century, Deoksugung Palace was abandoned for centuries until the years immediately pre- and post Japanese annexation of Korea, when it was the site of fascinating political intrigue and tragedy.

02 May 2009, Posted by Matt in Festivals & Holidays, Seoul, 0 Comments

Hi Seoul Festival 2009

When Korea co-hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup football/soccer tournament with Japan, people around the world saw hundreds of thousands of Korean fans clad in red swarm onto Seoul’s streets. To relive that festive spirit, the city launched the Hi Seoul Festival in 2003.

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31 Dec 2008, Posted by Matt in Historic Korea, Seoul, 1 Comments

Deoksugung Palace

Korean palaces like Deoksugung don’t shy away from using bright colors like pink and turquoise.

A few months ago during a Royal Asiatic Society walking tour of Seoul’s palaces, I learned that before most of the city’s five grand palaces were burned or bulldozed, they formed Asia’s second largest royal compound (the largest was China’s Forbidden City).

Case in point is the “Palace of Virtue and Longevity,” better known as Deoksugung, or Deoksu Palace. Located in the middle of modern Seoul, it was built during the mid-1400s as a private villa for Prince Wolsan, the big brother of King Seongjong. But when the Japanese invasion of 1592 left all of Hanyang’s (now Seoul) palaces burning, the residence was renamed Gyeongungung and converted into a temporary palace for just 7 years until Changdeokgung Palace became the royals’ primary residence. The ole villa-cum-palace fell into disuse over the next 2+ centuries before it became Emperor Gojong‘s official residence in the 1890s. My guide estimated that at its height, Deoksugung was comprised of 180 structures, but most were either burned in a 1904 fire or demolished by the Japanese during the colonial period. Today, only about 12 significant buildings remain on a footprint whose size is less than half its original. Nevertheless, what remains is a beautiful reminder of the sophistication of Korea’s Joseon period.

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28 Oct 2008, Posted by Matt in Historic Korea, Seoul, 17 Comments

Seoul’s North Village: Bukchon

A mom walks her brightly-clad, school-bound kids down an alley in Seoul’s historic Bukchon neighborhood. The modern Samseong Tower is in the distance.

(A version of this text aired on KBS World Radio on October 18, 2008.)

During the Joseon Dynasty, Seoul had both a north village and a south village. While the south village was home to lower ranking officials, the north village, called Bukchon (북촌), was built between Gyeongbuk and Changdeok palaces, and was historically home to high ranking palace officials.

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20 Sep 2008, Posted by Matt in Festivals & Holidays, Historic Korea, Seoul, UNESCO Sites, 5 Comments

Jongmyo: The Royal Ancestral Shrine

Built in the late 14th century, the Jongmyo Royal Ancestral Shrine was built to honor ancient Korea’s kings and queens and is recognized by UNESCO as a piece of intangible cultural heritage.