The National Palace Museum of Korea is a

national museum A national museum is a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In other countries a much greater numb ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its ea ...

located in Gyeongbokgung Palace,

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...

History

The museum first began as the "Korean Imperial Museum", which was established in September 1908 and was originally located in

Changgyeonggung Palace Changgyeong Palace is a palace located in Seoul, South Korea. The palace was built in the mid-15th century by King Sejong for his father, Taejong. It was originally named "Suganggung", but it was renovated and enlarged in 1483 by King Seongjo ...

. On November of the following year, the museum was opened to the public. However, in April 1938, the ruling Japanese government renamed the museum to the "Museum of Yi dynasty". In March 1946, after the liberation of Korea, it was renamed "Deoksugung Museum". In 1991,

Cultural Heritage Administration The Cultural Heritage Administration () or CHA, formerly the Cultural Properties Administration, is the agency of the South Korean government charged with preserving and promoting Korean cultural heritage. It is headquartered in the city of Dae ...

instituted the museum in Seokjojeon (석조전, Stone Hall) of

Deoksugung Deoksugung, also known as Gyeongun-gung, Deoksugung Palace, or Deoksu Palace, is a walled compound of palaces in Seoul that was inhabited by members of Korea's Royal Family during the Joseon monarchy until the annexation of Korea by Japan in ...

Palace, and in 2005, the museum was relocated to a modern building inside Gyeongbokgung Palace.

Collection

National Palace Museum of Korea houses over 40,000 artifacts and royal treasures, from the palaces of the

Joseon Dynasty Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and r ...

and the Korean Empire, of which 14 are

National Treasures of South Korea A National Treasure () is a tangible treasure, artifact, site, or building which is recognized by the South Korean government as having exceptional artistic, cultural and historical value to the country. The title is one of the eight State-designa ...

. It displays records, state rites, architecture, clothing, royal life, education, culture, paintings and music of the dynasty's ruling era. It also has among its collection the royal seal of King Gojong of Joseon, which was used for his personal letters to Russian czar and Italian emperor after 1903. It disappeared during Japanese rule and was re-covered from a US-based Korean collector in 2009. In March 2021, in conjunction with the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation, the National Palace Museum opened an installation at the arrivals hall of Terminal 1 at Incheon Airport. The installation features eight pieces of media art including one transparent LED display, three media walls and four kinetic artworks. The artworks display traditional Korean themes and cultural elements.

Permanent exhibitions

* Royal Symbols and Records * State Rites * Joseon Science * Palace Architecture * Royal Life * Royal Childbirth and Education * Royal Scholarly Culture * Korean Empire * Royal Court Paintings * Royal Court Music * Royal Palanquins * Joseon Water Clock Blue roof tile in national palace museum of korea

Blue roof tile in national palace museum of korea

Special collection

The Museum houses 1,200 volumes of historical texts including 150 copies of

Uigwe ''Uigwe'' () is the generic name given to a vast collection of approximately 3,895 books recording in detail the royal rituals and ceremonies of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. There is no generally agreed English translation; some scholars suggest ...

from the

that were looted in 1922, during rule by Japan under the supervision of then

Resident-General of Korea The Japanese resident-general of Korea ( ja, 韓国統監, Kankokutōkan; ko, 일본의 대 한국통감, Ilbon-ui dae hangugtong-gam) was the leader of Korea under Japanese rule from 1905 to 1910. This post was highly hated among native Korea ...

Itō Hirobumi was a Japanese politician and statesman who served as the first Prime Minister of Japan. He was also a leading member of the ''genrō'', a group of senior statesmen that dictated Japanese policy during the Meiji era. A London-educated samur ...

. They were repatriated in December 2011 and a special exhibition was held from 27 December 2011 to 5 February 2012. The copies chronicled the royal rituals of King Gojong and King Sunjong, the last two emperors of Joseon Dynasty and Daehan Empire before Korea was annexed in 1910.Lee, Clair
"Looted Korean royal texts return home"
''The Korea Herald''. 6 December 2011. Retrieved 23 April 2012

References

External links