Overview
The palace was left in ruins for 270 years, rebuilt in 1867 by the regent Heungseon Daewongun, then systematically dismantled after 1910, when the colonial authorities put their own headquarters across its front court. That building was removed in 1995 and the restoration has since returned around forty per cent of the original 500 buildings. Gyeonghoeru, the banqueting pavilion on its island, and Geunjeongjeon, the throne hall, are original nineteenth-century fabric.
Highlights
The changing of the guard at the Gwanghwamun gate runs at ten and two, and is a reconstruction of the Joseon ceremony rather than a continuous tradition. Entry is free if you wear hanbok, which is why the courtyards are full of rented costume. The National Palace Museum, inside the grounds, holds the royal seals and the astronomical instruments and is quieter than anything above ground.