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Promenade into History — Old Seoul Architecture I
On May 1, 2004, Seoul Plaza reopened to the public, ending its isolation in front of City Hall amid an endless swirl of traffic. Since then, the circular oasis of green has turned into a popular site for cultural events. But few people know that 110 years ago King Gojong of the Joseon Dynasty built the Altar of Heaven at the site and conducted rites to proclaim the founding of the Korean Empire, his first precarious step toward building modern Korea. Gojong' s master plan for a sovereign nation began with the reconstruction of Gyeongun Palace, presently Deoksu Palace, to the west of the altar in early 1896. Let us begin our promenade from the sunny Seoul Plaza into the historic alley of Jeong-dong encompassing the palace.

In February 1896, King Gojong moved by night to the Russian Legation, located on the highest terrain within the city gates, to avoid Japan' s mounting oppression. There he worked out a blueprint to resurrect his waning kingdom. It included an urban reconstruction plan to make Jeong-dong the new hub of government and foreign policy, part of which involved the expansion of the adjacent Gyeongun Palace. He probably believed that, by ruling from the palace located among the legations of Western countries, he could confront Japan' s aggression more effectively.
1. The road in front of Deoksu Palace

The renovated Gyeongun Palace sprawled from the present Jeong-dong Road, starting from its main entrance facing the Soul Plaza to Yewon School next to the old site of Russian Legation to the west and Deoksu Primary School and the old site of Kyunggi Girls' High School to the north. King Gojong moved into the palace on February 20, 1987, and built Hwangudan, the Altar of Heaven, to its east. On October 12 of the same year he conducted sacrificial rites


2. The National Museum of Art in Deoksu Palace

there to declare the establishment of the Korean Empire and his coronation as emperor.

Walk into the Past

Deoksu Palace is gaining renewed popular attention as Gojong' s painful efforts to protect the country from foreign invasion and build a modern sovereign state become known in detail. The palace, designated Historic Site No. 124, is now a favorite public haunt. In particular, the "Jeong-dong alley" stretched along archaic stone fences has long been known as a romantic walkway for lovers. Jeong-dong, however, is in fact far from a place to stroll around with a light heart.

After the opening of ports, Jeong-dong quickly turned into Joseon' s diplomatic avenue as most Western countries opened their legations there. The area thus remained an exclusive Western neighborhood relatively unaffected by the Japanese government-general during the colonial period (1910-1945). Even after liberation, Jeong-dong seemed like an island in the heart of the city, its history-ridden past tucked away behind the memories of people. Recently, the death of Lee Yeong-seop, the composer of the pop ballad "Love Song at Gwanghwamun,"
has brought back shards of forgotten memories about Jeong-dong.

Contrary to the lyrics of the song, Jeong-dong has not always been such a romantic place. Back in the 1970s and 1980s, it was frequently the site of anti-government and anti-American demonstrations because the Supreme Court and the U.S. Embassy Residence were in the neighborhood across the main rotary. The traffic circle regained peace with the termination of military dictatorship in the late 1980s, and relocation of the Supreme Court.

The Jeong-dong rotary is surrounded by several important historical buildings but the ambience has markedly changed in recent years. As the lyrics of the ballad say, the old brick building of the Chungdong First Church, named Historic Site No. 256, still stands there as it has ever since 1897. However, Paichai High School relocated and the Russian Embassy was built in its place. The old Supreme Court building has been remodeled to house the Seoul Museum of Art, with its classical front facade salvaged to contribute to the exotic mood of the area.


3. An old Korean-style house stands on the grounds of the Seoul Anglican Cathedral.

The Supreme Court, which was moved to southern Seoul in 1995, has its root in Pyeongniwon, the nation' s first appeal court set up by the Korean Empire with the introduction of modern judiciary system. It was renamed the Gyeongseong Court during the colonial period and then the Supreme Court after national liberation. Though the interior underwent extensive renovation before the Seoul Museum of Art moved in, the front facade was retained to allow public entry through a lobby that reflects the Western architectural style of the 1920s.

Across the side road from the museum stands the old building of Paichai Hakdang, one of the nation' s first modern schools, which later became Paichai High School. King Gojong chose the school' s name, meaning an "academy nurturing talented people," and wrote its name sign. The school moved to southern Seoul in 1984, and now, only the eastern hall of the academy remains. Though a cultural property designated in recognition of its historical significance, it seems overwhelmingly daunting for the small solitary structure to sustain its dignity amid high-rise office buildings and the onion-domed Russian Embassy.

The U.S. Embassy Residence lies on the opposite side of the rotary. The place is still guarded with barricades, but nobody seems to pass by it feeling shrunken these days. Many citizens may feel proud that they put the brakes on a U.S. Embassy move to build a new chancellery on the old site of Kyunggi Girls' High School down the road toward Gwanghwamun, which had been part of Gyeongun Palace. Public campaigns forced the embassy to scrap its plan, which allowed for the reconstruction of the Joseon royal shrine that had stood on the old palace

4. The popular walkway running along the stone fence of Deoksu Palace starts at the left corner of Daehanmun (Great Korean Gate), the main entrance to the palace


5. The main rotary in the Jeong-dong alley. It is a crossroads leading to Gwanghwamun, Chong-dong Theater and the old Paichai Haktang building.

grounds until the early 20th century. Today, the embassy residence still retains the old American Legation building, the oldest extant Korean-style structure in Jeong-dong. It is designated Local Cultural Property.

Facing the Joseon palace shrine site across the road is the Salvation Army Central Hall. The building boasts quite a handsome front side. Those who are interested in its architectural style should ask for permission from the Salvation Army to look at the second-floor auditorium. It has the most beautiful wooden beam work among all modern Western architectural monuments in the nation.

Back to the rotary and on the way to the Jeong-dong Park past the Chongdong Theater, one can find the tower of the old Russian Legation rising on the hill to the right side. Bombs destroyed the legation building during the Korean War (1950-1953) and only the square tower survived. It is Historic Site. Now, with many high buildings around, it hardly seems the legation once stood on the highest terrain in the old city center but the site still commands the best view in the whole neighborhood.

As the promenade nears its end, one may feel the pain of King Gojong comes back alive-his foiled attempts to save Joseon from crisis by proclaiming an empire free from foreign intervention.


6. The Seoul Museum of Art

7. The Chungdong First Church