Gyeongbokgung (景福宮) - Spectral Codex
Spectral Codex
景福宮

Locations
Hyangwongjeong: a beautiful reconstruction.
Hyangwongjeong: a beautiful reconstruction.

Gyeongbokgung (景福宮) is a historic site in downtown Seoul, the site of an opulent palace built by the Joseon Dynasty. Few, if any, of the structures in the photographs below are original; the palace was more or less razed by the Japanese occupiers in the colonial period or during the Korean War. Nowadays it is a major tourist attraction and a curiously contrived window into traditional Korea.

A closer look at the woodwork.
A closer look at the woodwork.
A language of signs and symbols pervades my dreams.
A language of signs and symbols pervades my dreams.
A close look at the ersatz palace.
A close look at the ersatz palace.
Wood detail.
Wood detail.
One of the rather modest-looking thrones at Gyeongbokgung.
One of the rather modest-looking thrones at Gyeongbokgung.
Apparently the pavilion is original.
Apparently the pavilion is original.
Hyangwongjeong, the pavilion of far-reaching fragrance.
Hyangwongjeong, the pavilion of far-reaching fragrance.
Jar storage at the old palace.
Jar storage at the old palace.
The gate of receiving plenty.
The gate of receiving plenty.
National Folk Museum, Seoul.
National Folk Museum, Seoul.

Map

Links

Series: South Korea 2012

A complete travelogue from one unplanned week in Seoul, South Korea. These stories are evenly divided between lengthy photo essays and brief photo galleries and are arranged in rough chronological order.

Connections

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Author

Profile photo of Alexander Synaptic, founder of Spectral Codex
Alexander Synaptic
Curator, Spectral Codex

I am a web application developer, photojournalist, urban explorer, and history enthusiast passionate about the open web and documenting my experiences on this planet. This project was founded in the early 2010s and has evolved into a sort of personal Wikipedia of places that interest me (and often the photographs I’ve taken there). I’m originally from Toronto, Canada, but spend most of my time residing in Taiwan.