Gyeonggyojang
경교장
The two-storey Western-style house that served as the returned Provisional Government's offices and its members' lodgings, from Kim Ku's arrival from China in 1945 until he was shot dead in his second-floor study on 26 June 1949. Built in 1938 as Jukcheomjang, the residence of the gold-mining magnate Choi Chang-hak, it lost its interior first to embassy use and then to a hospital, was restored from 2010 and reopened to the public on 2 March 2013. It still stands inside the grounds of Kangbuk Samsung Hospital and is run as a branch of the Seoul Museum of History.
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— Toobigtokale (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0)
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Place information
- Korean name
- 경교장
- Address
- 29 Saemunan-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul (inside the Kangbuk Samsung Hospital grounds)
- Opening hours
- 09:00–18:00 (last entry 17:30)
- Closed
- Every Mon (open if it falls on a public holiday) · Jan 1
- Admission
- Free
- Operated by
- Seoul Museum of History
Prices
| Admission | Free |
|---|
History
The Provisional Government held its second State Council meeting here on 3 December 1945; afterwards, ministers including Kim Gu and Kim Gyu-sik gathered at the entrance. Kim Gu died here on 26 June 1949 after being shot by An Du-hui, a second lieutenant in the Republic of Korea Army and an agent of the US military counterintelligence unit in Korea.
December 1945
Second State Council meeting
The Provisional Government held its second State Council meeting here on 3 December.
June 1949
Death of Kim Gu
Kim Gu died here on 26 June after being shot by An Du-hui.
What to see
Building exterior
Designed by Kim Se-yeon (1897–1975), who is regarded as a pioneer of modern architecture, the Western-style building has one basement level and two storeys above ground. Its restrained exterior is noted for its façade proportions, projecting ground-floor windows and recessed arched windows on the upper floor.
Ground-floor dining room
The Provisional Government held an official dinner in the ground-floor dining room on 2 December 1945. It was used as a mourning room after Kim Gu’s death.
Reconstructed rooms
The ground and upper floors have been reconstructed to reflect the period when the building served as Provisional Government offices, using sources including LIFE magazine. They include a reception room where meetings such as the State Council took place and Kim Gu received visitors from Korea and abroad, as well as a space used by the publicity department.
Basement exhibition room
The basement exhibition room contains a replica of Kim Gu’s bloodstained clothing held by the Baekbeom Kim Koo Memorial Museum, along with a first edition and a personally signed copy of Baekbeomilji (1947).
Building exterior selected
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Where these facts come from
- Seoul Museum of History — the operating notice for its Gyeonggyojang branch: open Tuesday to Sunday 09:00–18:00 with last admission at 17:30; closed on 1 January and every Monday except public holidays; admission free; no reservation needed; address 29 Saemunan-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul 03181, inside Kangbuk Samsung Hospital; telephone 02-735-2038; no visitor car park ·
- Seoul Museum of History — its account of Gyeonggyojang, which dates the building to 1938, records its 2001 listing as a Seoul city cultural heritage and its 2005 elevation to a national Historic Site, and states that the altered interior was rebuilt from the plans published in the August 1938 issue of Chosen to Kenchiku and opened on 2 March 2013 ·
- Seoul Museum of History — its Gyeonggyojang exhibition guide, which records the house's construction in 1938 as Jukcheomjang for the gold-mining magnate Choi Chang-hak (1891–1959), its use as the Provisional Government's offices and lodgings after the ministers returned in 1945, Kim Ku's death in the second-floor study on 26 June 1949, and its absorption into Koryo Hospital from 1968 ·
- Korea Heritage Portal — the Historic Site 'Gyeonggyojang, Seoul', which gives the location as Pyeong-dong, Jongno-gu, the designation date as 13 June 2005, the managing body as the Seoul Museum of History and the owner as Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, and carries its coordinates ·
- OpenStreetMap — Gyeonggyojang at 29 Saemunan-ro, Pyeong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul 03181, agreeing with the Korea Heritage Portal coordinate to within about two metres ·