The Traditional Buildings in Deoksugung Palace and The Last Moment of The Dyansty.

As I said before, This posting is on the traditional buildings of Deoksugung Palace.
If the western style building in Deoksugung showed us the inability of the government, the traditional buildings seemed to show us the tragedy of the dynasty.

King Go Jong had moved his main residency from the embassy of Russia to Deoksugung palace.
He couldn’t back to Gyeongbokgung where his queen was murdered by Japanese Samurais.

Actually Gyeongbokgung was fired and destroyed in the midst of Japanese invasion 1592.
This palace had been abandoned for more than 250 years.

Gyeongbokgung was rebuilt in 1865 by father of King Go Jong. As Former King Cheol Jong died without child, so King Go Jong became next King after King Cheol Jong. Father of King Go Jong was very prominent person. He had acted like the drunk to escape the check and the restraint from the main faction of the government.

At that time, King’s family had lost the initiative in ruling country. The main power had been passed over to the hand of the novel class after the death of Kong Jeong Jo.

Father of king Go Jong had tried to set up the authority of King’s power with rebuilding of Gyeongbogung. Ironically, King Go Jong had lost the initiative of political power in Gywongbokgung not by the novel class but by Japanese.

After moving to Deoksugung, King Go Jong had done his efforts to sustain the independence, it was effortless.

In Deoksugung there are three kinds of building.

The first was the building had been used after the invasion of Japan in 1592. After the war, King Seen Jo had stayed in this building. This two story wooden building had been used for King Seon Jo during the reconstruction of Changdeokgung palace.

Next building was Hamryeong Jeon.
Hamryeong Jeon means the palace for sustaining well-being. King Go Jong had stayed in this place until he died. HamryeongJeon was not a good peaceful place. Unike the meaning of this building, King Go Jong was died in this building. It is said that King Go Jong was poisoned by the Japanese.

Third place is the main place for ruling country. Name of this building is Jungwha Jeon. It means that moderation and balance. It is interesting the name of this building has specific meaning of political situation in that time.

For king the safety was the best priority. And For the country and the politics the diplomatic balance and moderation was the most important.

It means that the name of Confucian philosophy was no more important value for maintaining the country.

Jungwha Jeon was very small size compare to Gyeonbokgung and Changdeokgung.
It seemed that the size of Jungwha Jeon showed the smaller authority.

You could think and feel the last moment of the 500 years long dynasty in Deoksugung.

Thank you for reading