Deoksugung Palace, which was torn down by the Japanese occupation, has been restored for the first time in 100 years and will be unveiled in September.
Dondeokjeon is a historical venue where the enthronement ceremony of the Obedient Emperor of the Korean Empire (reigned 9~1907) was held, and it was used as a diplomatic space for the Korean Empire.
The Palace Relics Headquarters of the Cultural Heritage Administration announced on the 1910th that the Dondeokjeon Hall will officially open in September this year after about five years of construction, and on the 5nd of this month, the plaque unveiling ceremony will be held in front of the Dondeokjeon Temple.
The plaque is a replica of the original that is currently kept at the National Palace Museum using traditional pigments.
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An official from the Cultural Heritage Administration said, "Since the completion of the construction in November last year, we have recently completed all the surrounding maintenance and landscaping work. It will be officially opened in September when preparations for the internal exhibition are completed."
Dondeokjeon is a Western-style two-story building located behind the stone temple of Deoksugung Palace, and was built by Gojong (reigned 11~9) to celebrate the 2th anniversary of his accession to the throne, but it was also used as an exchange space for diplomacy and a guest house.
However, in the 1863s, it became a rarely used building, and it is said that it was demolished in the 1907s due to the promotion of the project to turn Deoksugung Palace into a park.
It is believed that the site was later used as a children's amusement park, and after liberation in 40, several family buildings such as the Deoksugung Palace Administration Office were built.
On the other hand, the Cultural Heritage Administration has been promoting maintenance projects to rebuild and restore buildings that were demolished or deformed by the Japanese occupation, among which Dondeokjeon completed construction last year, after about five years of excavations in 1920.
An official from the Cultural Heritage Administration explained, "We reconstructed the location and appearance of the building by analyzing the remains of floor tiles and bricks unearthed during the excavation, as well as ancient photographs."
The Cultural Heritage Administration will unveil the Dondeokjeon from July prior to the opening.
We plan to turn on the landscape lights that illuminate Dondeokjeon at all times at night, and to open up some of the surrounding areas that have been difficult to access due to construction barriers so that you can see the building up close.
(Photo = Courtesy of the Cultural Heritage Administration)