Discover the Historic Palace in Seoul, South Korea

Male: Changing of the guard ceremony at Kyungbok Palace is a colorful and accurate reenactment from the glory days of the Chosun Dynasty dating back to the late 14th century when the palace was built. In Seoul, there are two historic Chosun Dynasty palaces both of which are significant icons of Korea’s royal heritage. Kyungbok was destroyed by the Japanese in 1592 and remained in ruins for nearly 250 years when it was rebuilt. However, the Japanese again laid waste to the palace when they annexed Korean in 1910 leaving only a few buildings standing. The palace has been rebuilt in recent times and is a magnificent icon to the Chosun Dynasty. Male: The building there, we call it the -- which is the oldest building in this palace of 140 years old from 1867. Only during this building during the Korean War survived. Also this one, we have for the coronation or the special event with the Korean king. Also you can see the stone on the both sides like a military and civil officer where they were supposed to stand. Getting across that building getting higher position, just in front of the building is like a prime minister for these modern times. Only the Korean emperor, we have that kind of – behind the throne chair. You can see the white color. Opposite it, we have the red and black of the sun and the moon. The – of the Korean king and then the queen. Under the two rounds, you can see the five mountain peak that’s the god of the mountain. Between the mountain, you can see the white line, that’s the waterfall. The meaning is time. You can see the double dragon. This dragon is 1.8 meters with seven fingers meaning it’s emperor. On another palace we have exactly the same dragon but 1.6 meters with four fingers. The meaning is royal family. You can see the building in here, this one for king’s chamber, as the king’s bedroom. Further divided into seven rooms, the kings live in the center or in the middle. They close all the doors for sleeping but each door, each room has one court lady. They look after the Korean king. So if the king is thirsty or something, they provide support for the king. Also on this side, and also on another side. Male: Also on the grounds, a Buddhist temple and the National Folk Museum of Korea. A few blocks away, Changduk Palace built in the early 15th century. 13 of Korea’s kings lived here for a total of 270 years, actually a longer period than in Kyungbok Palace. In 1592, the Japanese burned this palace. It has been rebuilt, burned and rebuilt several times over the centuries. The palace grounds cover over 110 acres. There remain 41 buildings that are more or less original from previous centuries. Entrance to the palace is only through organized tours with palace guides in specific languages. Female: Anyong haseyo, say hello in the Korean way. This is Korean. We’re visiting Changduk Gung or Changduk Palace, you can say either Changduk Gung or Changduk Palace. Gung means palace. When it comes to the Chosun Dynasty, Chosun is the last dynasty of Korea and it has over 500 years of history. It first started in 1392 and was over in 1910. This palace, it was first built in 1405 in the reign of King Dae Jung, the silver king of Chosun Dynasty – the palace of Kyungbok Gung, the main palace. Here, we are now, we see the main hall, named in – from the right words you have to read in --. We are going to walk toward – and going to see inside of the hall. In the center of the ceiling, you can see a pair of birds. This is a kind of Korean phoenix that symbolizes the authority of the king and when you see electric lights hanging in the pillars, some cultures were introduced to Korea at the end of the Chosun Dynasty. You see this was first installed in Kyungbok Gung, the main palace and not here in 1887 and electric lights were first installed in this palace in 1908. That’s about 100 years ago. So inside there’s curtains and glass windows, they are the same way. When you look up the loop here, you can see iron –. The thing that is interesting is they are called bush. It sounds like the name of the president in the States. Bush is the Korean name. They were installed to protect the palace from birds, from them making their houses. What is interesting is they are called bush. Real easy and simple to remember. While every main pole has the same style, at the center, there’s a king’s throne. Behind which is a bowling screen. While the sun would symbolize the king and queen and – symbolize the national land and waterfall and pine trees are painted. This is name --, this is what’s used as the king’s working office. This was first built in 1461 and it was rebuilt. After suffering from much damage, damage from numerous fires, it was rebuilt in 1647. Male: This is just a small sample of the vast collection of history you can experience here with the palace’s remarkable guides.