Deoksu Palace's reconstructed Dondeokjeon hall to open to public

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

National

Sun, December 10, 2023 | 00:02

Society

Deoksu Palace's reconstructed Dondeokjeon hall to open to public

Posted : 2023-09-25 11:08

Updated : 2023-09-26 10:08

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, first row sixth from left, claps during the reopening ceremony of the Dondeokjeon Hall at Deoksu Palace, Monday, along with dignitaries including diplomats from 34 countries and religious leaders. Originally built as a diplomatic space for the Korean Empire (1897-1910) from 1902 to 1903, the hall was demolished by the Japanese colonial government in the 1920s. The Cultural Heritage Administration restored the building between 2015 to 2023 and the hall will be open to public starting Tuesday, offering exhibitions on Korea's modern diplomacy. Yonhap

Dondeokjeon, a historic Western-style building in Seoul's Deoksu Palace used as a royal guesthouse during the 1897-1910 Korean Empire, will open to the public Tuesday after being reconstructed in its original form, the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) said.

The reconstruction was part of the agency's broader plan to restore the original states of royal palaces, which were damaged during the 1910-45 Japanese colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.

The two-story building, known to have been first built during the reign of Emperor Gojong around 1901, was used mostly as a reception hall and a place to meet foreign guests. It was also a historic place where his son, Emperor Sunjong, took the throne in 1907.

According to historic records, Dondeokjeon was built in a European style on the exterior with the interior reception room decorated in a luxurious style with golden curtains and wallpaper symbolizing the emperor.

However, it was reported to have been demolished in the 1930s, when the Japanese colonial government transformed the palace into a public park.

It took the government agency about six years to reconstruct the building after excavation work began in 2017.

The CHA said it has restored the building's original location and appearance based on studies of the remains unearthed from the site, such as floor tiles and bricks, as well as photos, documents and newspaper reports. However, the CHA added an exhibition hall, a library and a hall for culture-arts events inside to make the most of the historical site located in the city center.

Employees of the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) showcase exhibitions held inside of Dondeokjeon to the press, Sept. 25. Yonhap

There also is a space for various exhibitions and international events on the first floor.

On the second floor, a permanent exhibition highlights the significance of Dondeokjeon in modern Korean history and the diplomacy of the Korean Empire.

The five-part exhibition introduces the process of the empire's establishing diplomatic relations with various countries, including the United States and Denmark, after signing an international treaty with Japan in 1876, and highlights major events in history. It also highlights the lives and activities of Korean diplomats who lived through a turbulent era. An archive of books and video materials has also been created on the same floor.

The CHA will hold a ceremony to mark the opening of Dondeokjeon on Monday afternoon.

The ceremony will be attended by about 90 people, including Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and CHA head Choi Eung-chon, as well as ambassadors from various foreign countries posted to Korea.

"By reconstructing the cultural heritage that was the most important in Korea's modern diplomatic history, we will restore the past historical space and utilize it as a public diplomacy platform for future cultural exchanges," the CHA office in charge of managing Deoksu Palace said in a release. (Yonhap)