A few days ago, I was lucky enough to be taken on a guided tour of the Daehan Empire History Museum, which is housed in Seokjojeon, a beautiful neo-classical building within the site of Deoksugung Palace in Seoul. Seokjojeon is the only Korean palace to have been built in a western style and using stone, and it is quite a sight indeed to see it standing next to the other traditional Korean style palace buildings of Deoksugung. Seokjojeon was designed by the British architect John Reginald Harding after being commissioned by King Gojong, who reigned between 1863 and 1907, just as the Japanese colonial period approached. The building itself is original but it has been used in various ways since its time as a palace, so the original inner building was altered and was even later subject to a reconstruction attempt. In more recent years, pictorial evidence such as photographs and building plans have been used along with written sources such as newspaper articles, resulting in the building being reconstructed and re-designed to be as similar to the original palace building as is possible.
There are many beautifully reconstructed rooms - a reception area, a reception room, a banquet hall, bedrooms and more - all of them complete with furniture, some of it original. Around the first floor corridor there are also many historical photographs, including Seokjojeon and some of the people connected to it, giving both valuable insights into people's lives and acting as sources of primary evidence that helped with the reconstruction of the buildings fixtures and fittings, and its history. A picture of the royal family is an extremely thought provoking addition, as everyone in the picture sits with solemn faces, not as one might expect with a family portrait - even a royal family portrait - but unsurprising in light of what what happening in the country at the time it was taken. Having an actual photograph also gives a wonderful opportunity to see what Korean royalty really looked like in comparison to their official royal portraits. The tour itself takes around 45 minutes and is full of valuable insights into the history of Soekjojeon, Deoksugung, King Gojong and the royal family, what was happening in Korea when the site was in use and how the whole Deoksugung area and the Soekjojeon building have changed over time. The tour is also the only opportunity to view the inside of the building, as it is not open for general admission. Definitely a worthwhile addition to the itinerary for anyone who is in Seoul. Visit the Royal Palaces and Tomb Center pages for more information on how to book a tour.
