Geunjeongjeon

Geunjeongjeon () is the main hall of the palace Gyeongbokgung in Seoul, South Korea. It was used for major events like ceremonies and the issuing of edicts. It is a designated National Treasure of South Korea.

Description

It is the largest main hall of all Joseon palaces and is regarded as examplary of late-Joseon architecture. Like other Joseon main halls, it has a ''wŏltae'' in front used for ceremonies. On its ''wŏltae'' are rank stones () that mark where officials of various ranks are to stand during ceremonies. To its east and west are gates to its various annex buildings.

History

The building was completed in 1395. Five kings were coronated here: Jeongjong in 1398, Sejong in 1418, Danjong in 1455, Jungjong in 1506, and Seonjo in 1567. It was renovated in 1426. It was spared by the 1553 fire that destroyed much of the palace. There are few records of renovations performed on it, so it is assumed that the building remained in much the same state until it was destroyed in 1592 in the Imjin War.

It was reconstructed from the 9th month of 1866 to 1867, possibly with inspiration from the design of Changdeokgung's main hall Injeongjeon, and has remained in much the same form to the present. In 1915, the building hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the Chōsen Industrial Exhibition. Japanese Prince Kan'in Kotohito was in attendance at the opening ceremony; he sat on the former Korean throne. It was also used for the 1923 Chōsen Agricultural Exhibition and 1929 Chōsen Exhibition as an exhibition hall. Beginning in 1926, the building was used for an annual Shinto ceremony to honor deceased Japanese police who died while suppressing the Korean independence movement. The Seoul Historiography Institute described this as an intentionally symbolic act: turning the former seat of Joseon's power into the " Yasukuni Shrine of Chōsen". When ceremonies were held in the building during the colonial period, the Governors-General of Chōsen would symbolically sit on the Korean throne. The building became hidden from view in the front when the massive Government-General of Chōsen Building was completed in front of it.

After the 1945 liberation of Korea from Japanese colonial rule, the building was not properly maintained for several years and became overgrown with weeds.

The building was restored from January 2000 to October 2003.

Gallery

File:Courant - Souvenir de Séoul, Corée-07.jpg, Geunjeongjeon (1900)
File:A60 - Palace in Back of Cap.jpg, Geunjeongjeon (1955)
File:경복궁 세종대왕 즉위식.jpg, Reenactment of Sejong the Great's coronation at the building (1999)
File:경복궁 근정전 근정전 내부(궁능유적본부)-min.jpg, The interior, with the Phoenix Throne visible

References

Sources

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External links

* {{Commons category-inline, Geunjeongjeon

Gyeongbokgung
14th-century establishments in Korea
Buildings and structures completed in 1395
National Treasures of South Korea