Gyeonghuigung Palace
경희궁
Free, rarely crowded, and small enough to see properly in half an hour — the palace to add when the ticketed ones are full or already closed for the day.
Language
Place information
- Korean name
- 경희궁
- Address
- 45 Saemunan-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
- Opening hours
- 09:00–18:00
- Closed
- Every Mon · Jan 1
- Time needed
- 30 min
- Admission
- Free
- Operated by
- Seoul Museum of History · Jongno-gu Office, Seoul
Prices
| Admission | Free |
|---|
Source: Korea Tourism Organization — Gyeonghuigung visitor information and history ·
History
Gyeonghuigung was known as the Western Palace for its position in the city. It received the name Gyeongdeokgung in 1616, under Gwanghaegun, and was renamed Gyeonghuigung in 1760. A major fire in 1829 destroyed most of its structures.
What happened afterwards is why so little of it stands today. Under Japanese occupation the remaining buildings were demolished and the grounds were turned into Gyeongseong Middle School, later Seoul High School. The school occupied the site until it relocated to Gangnam in 1987, after which the grounds became a park. Two buildings were reconstructed by November 1994: the main gate Heunghwamun and the ceremonial hall Sungjeongjeon.
Knowing that sequence changes how the site reads. The wide empty courtyard is not a design choice — it is the footprint of everything that is missing.
1616
Named Gyeongdeokgung
The Western Palace receives its first formal name under Gwanghaegun.
1760
Renamed Gyeonghuigung
The name it still carries.
1829
Fire
A major fire destroys most of the palace structures.
Colonial period
Demolished
The remaining buildings are torn down and the grounds become Gyeongseong Middle School, later Seoul High School.
1987
The school leaves
Seoul High School relocates to Gangnam and the site becomes a park.
1994
Two buildings back
Heunghwamun and Sungjeongjeon are reconstructed by November.
Korea Tourism Organization — Gyeonghuigung visitor information and history ·
Filmed here
Kingdom(킹덤)K-drama
Sungjeongjeon Hall, standing in as Gangnyeongjeon — the zombie king's dwelling.
Accessibility and facilities
Parking and restrooms are provided on site. The grounds are largely flat open space, which makes them straightforward to cross, though the reconstructed hall sits at the top of a stone-stepped platform in the usual palace fashion.
Korea Tourism Organization — Gyeonghuigung visitor information and history ·
Nearby
Seoul Museum of History
Next to Gyeonghuigung, laying out in order how Hanyang became today's Seoul — the right first-day stop for getting the shape of the city. It closes on Mondays, which is exactly when several of the palaces are open.
Gyeonggyojang
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.
Sejong Center for the Performing Arts
The city-run performing arts centre across from Gwanghwamun Square, running several halls beside its main theatre. It sits where a day spent between Gyeongbokgung and Gwanghwamun already ends.
Gwanghwamun Gukbap
A dwaeji-gukbap house working in the clear-broth style, with boiled pork and blood sausage beside it.
Frequently asked questions
Is it worth visiting if I only have time for one palace?
No — choose Gyeongbokgung or Changdeokgung for a single visit. Gyeonghuigung is worth adding when you have a spare half hour or when another palace is closed.
Stories about this place
- Kingdom Filming Locations in Korea — Four Seoul Palaces, and One Set 131 km Away
Where Netflix's Kingdom shot its Joseon palace, scene by scene. The drama's single palace was really four separate sites in Seoul, all walkable from one another — plus the Mungyeongsaejae open set, which is not.
- Kingdom Seoul Palace Filming Route — Three Palaces and a Shrine on Foot
A one-day route through the Kingdom locations in Seoul, from Gyeonghuigung across to Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung and Jongmyo. The last three share walls, so you board the subway only once — the hard part is choosing the day.
- Seoul's Five Palaces, Compared: Price, Closing Day, Hours — and How There Came to Be Five
Seoul's five palaces compared on what you see, what kind of palace each is and how long it takes, with price, closing day and hours alongside.
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- Enjoying Seoul's Cafe Culture
Travel Guides
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