Korean Palaces
- Always Ben Here
Palaces are a space which were protected by people over over 500 years in the Joseon era. There are five palaces in Seoul: Gyeongbokgung Palace, Changdeokgung Palace, Changgyeonggung Palace, Deoksugung Palace and Gyeongheegung Palace. Korean Palaces is a story with a different perspective, featuring the people and buildings of the Joseon Dynasty rather than focusing on the architectural characteristics of the palaces.
Korean Palaces is an easy travel book introducing the five palaces in Seoul. As the subtitle, "always been here", says, these palaces have lived in this world for more than 600 years and remember the time they spent with Korean ancestors. Over the course of time, the palaces were burned, disappeared, and were restored, and in that sense, palaces are a history of Joseon. Understanding Joseon through these palaces will help people understand the future of Korea. The stories about buildings in this book feature quotes from the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty. In the case of Gyeongbokgung Palace, it was burned down during the Japanese Invasion of Korea in 1592 and was left as a ruin for 273 years until King Gojong rebuilt it. Changedeokgung Palace and Gyeongheegung Palace undertook the role of main palace until it was rebuilt and later, when the Korean Empire was declared, Gyeongungung Palace (Deoksugung Palace) acted as the main palace. Through stories of what happened, who was born, who died and what kind of political order was in place, readers will be able to understand the 519 years of the Joseon Dynasty. The palaces are shown in water paintings rather than photographs, generating the sensation of reading a picture book, and "Giwa"(tile) and "Dancheong" (multi-colored painting on wood) are colored with a modern interpretation rather than their original colors. This book helps the reader to understand the history of Joseon and its palaces, perhaps making them feel a little closer to the old buildings.