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.

08 Nov 2009, Posted by Matt in Food & Drink, Historic Korea, Seoul, Video, 10 Comments

Seoul’s Best Cafés, Part 1

Many may assume that Korea is a tea-based culture. Indeed, Korea has an indigenous tea culture that goes back centuries. But ever since King Gojong became the nation’s first and best-known coffee lover in the late 1800’s, coffee has taken the nation by storm.

More recently, the wildly popular TV drama, “Coffee Prince” captured Korea’s love of java. Today, global giant Starbucks competes with local brands like Holly’s, Ediya and Café Pascucci. But while you can get a decent cup of joe at any of these places, paying 5,000-won or more is a small extravagance. So, why not enjoy your bitter brew at one of Seoul’s best cafés?

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06 May 2009, Posted by Matt in Art & Culture, Seoul, Video, 5 Comments

The Prada Transformer

Among Seoul’s five grand palaces, Gyeonghuigung (경희궁) is sometimes called the “forgotten palace.” First built in the early 17th century, it was completely razed by the Japanese during their colonial occupation of Korea. In the 1990s, the original foundation stones and building records were used to reconstruct the palace, and today it’s a serene place in the city.

But for the next six months, there’s something unusual on the palace grounds. Amidst the old and new is a curious, ultra-modern structure called the Prada Transformer, a collaboration of the Italian designer and the acclaimed Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas.

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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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01 Sep 2008, Posted by Matt in Historic Korea, Seoul, 3 Comments

Gyeonghuigung: A Summer Palace in Seoul

Seoul’s Gyeonghuigung Palace with Gwanghwamun’s skyscrapers in the background.

On the way between my home and central Seoul’s City Hall, is Gyeonghuigung Palace (경희궁), which is also known as Gyeongdeokgung Palace. As one of the “Five Grand Palaces” of Korea’s Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), about ten Korean kings visited here during their daily excursions.

It’s my understanding that Gyeonghuigung Palace wasn’t actually a palace, but a royal villa. Construction occured between 1617-23, and once upon a time, the entire complex comprised some 100 different structures. A rendering of the compound circa 1820 shows an elaborate and extensive series of walls, homes and gardens that were connected by an arched bridge to Deoksugung Palace (덕수궁), which is quite a ways to the southeast. Sadly, virtually the entire palace was razed by the Japanese during their colonial occupation of Korea (1910-1945).

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