Gyeongbokgung (경복궁): visiting the best palace in South Korea

When talking about South Korea, one of the first things to keep in mind is definitely its history rich in culture and art.
In this article I will tell you about a very important place to visit during your trip to Korea.
If you want to know more about this incredible place, keep reading this article to find out more about Gyeongbokgung Palace (경복궁), how it was born, how it is composed and how to get there.

History

Gyeongbokgung Palace (경복궁) is located in the center of Seoul which is also called the most historical part of the city. Gyeongbokgung was the largest palace of the 5 built in the Joseon Dynasty. The palace was built in 1394, it also symbolizes the Korean royal family and covers an area of 410,000 square meters, with a complex of 330 buildings and 5,792 rooms.

Map of Gyeongbokgung Author: Seoul Tourism Organization (https://english.visitseoul.net/walking-tour/GyeongbokgungPalace/ENN000608)

However, in 1911 the Japanese occupation destroyed all the buildings, sparing only 10 of them, with the result that historians had difficulty understanding how it was in his original state due to the lack of photographs.

Two of the most important buildings are the Imperial Throne Hall and the Gyeonghoeru Pavilion (경회루), which is located in the center of an artificial lake of lotus flowers.

You will notice that the pavilion is featured on the 10,000 won bills
Since 1990, restoration work has begun on the palace to restore it to its original state.

But let’s take a look at some of the most important buildings:

Geunjeongjeon (근정전): It is the main hall of the palace, where the King performed his duties and welcomed foreign embassies. In this hall, 7 kings were also crowned (1395-1546)

This room is on a single floor and has a very high and important ceiling, like the authority of the King.
In the center of the back is located the throne and in the center of the ceiling you can see clouds with 2 dragons that symbolize the King.

Gyeonghoeru (경회루): Gyeonghoeru, also called the Pavilion of Joyful Encounter, is the largest elevated pavilion in the country. In 1592 the Japanese occupation burned the pavilion and only the stone pillars remained but it was rebuilt under the reign of Gojong.

Gyeonghoeru (경회루) Photo by eimoberg (https://www.flickr.com/photos/eimoberg/298496073/)

During the Joseon period, the pavilion was used for banquets, and today it is used for special occasions.

Final conclusions

So what can we learn from this? Gyeongbokgung is an important pillar of Korean history and culture, despite the turbulent history behind this incredible palace, there has always been a way to rebuild and preserve it over time so that we have the chance to see its beauty to this day.

Where the palace is located and how to get there

Gyeongbokgung is located at the end of the great road of Sejong-dero, which is the heart of Seoul.
Moreover, since there is a subway station, it is also quite easy to get there.
How? Just take subway line 3 and get off at Gyeongbokgung station (경복궁역) Exit 5, or if you want to take a walk first, you can take subway line 5 and get off at Gwanghwamun Station (광화문역) Exit 2.

Surroundings

Speaking of walking, since you are in the heart of Seoul, you can also visit other wonderful places around the Palace, such as the famous Gwanghwamun (광화문) Square, where they often organize very interesting cultural events, or you can stop by the National museum of Korean contemporary History.
Or why not visit one of the wonderful traditional and non-traditional cafes that are in that area?

Source: Wikipedia

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April 23, 2024April 23, 2024

Visit this big museum in Seoul: the National Museum of Korea (국립중앙박물관)

One thing I like to do is recommend museums when visiting a country, it is always nice to discover the art and history of the place that is giving us hospitality, so in this article I will tell you about the National Museum of Korea, a MUST visit during your stay in the country.

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National Museum of Korea (국립중앙박물관)

This museum located in Yongsan Park in Seoul is the sixth largest museum in the world. Inside there are 220,000 artefacts on display, including 13,000 displayed in permanent exhibitions. Furthermore, it is South Korea’s main art and history museum.

The first museum was founded in 1908 by Emperor Sunjong (last Emperor of Korea) This museum was moved several times over the years, and only found a permanent home in 2005.

The collections

This museum is made up of 3 floors:

1°floor: On the first floor we have the archaeological gallery which goes from the Paleolithic to the Silla unification period
2°floor: On the second floor we can find an exhibition on Korean religious and traditional art and also a collection of 800 artifacts from other cultures.
3°floor: Last, on the third floor there is a gallery that displays Korean artisan objects and Buddhist sculptures, plus you can find many Asian art objects

The really interesting thing is that the museum also continues outside, in fact you can find an exhibition of pagodas, stupas, steles and a garden with local plants.

Stupa and Stone Coffin for Master Jingong, 869-940

Stone Lantern from Hyeonhwasa Temple, 1009-1031

How to get

To get to the museum, take subway line 4 or the Gyeongui-Joungang line (경의중앙) and get off at Ichon Station (이촌역), exit at Exit 2 and walk for about 150m (5 minutes on foot)

Personal thoughts

I find that this museum is too important not to be visited, as it contains a lot of Korean history and art, you can have a more open and specific vision of how this country was born, and in my opinion it is right to visit it at least once. Even the little ones will be able to have fun and learn many things.

Once the internal visit is finished, you will have an entire park to visit, where you can take a nice walk among nature, and at the same time read some more information on the various finds scattered around the museum.

Museum entry: free

Museum website: National Museum of Korea

*All photos were taken by me

*Source: Wikipedia

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March 12, 2024April 8, 2024

Learn Hangeul (한글): make the most of your stay in Korea

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Today I’m going to talk about the Korean language, one of the most fascinating and beautiful languages you can learn. That’s why the love for this language led me to live in Korea for 2 years.
But whether you are a tourist or whether you want to live there for a longer or shorter period, learning the Korean alphabet (Hangeul 한글) can be extremely useful to you. So if you want to know more, keep reading this article, it’s worth it!

History

First of all we need to know how and who created the Hangeul (한글) alphabet: therefore, this fascinating language was created in 1443 by a group of scholars in the royal research organization, called Jiphyeonjeon (집현전), under the direction of King Sejong ( 세종대왕), of the Joseon Dynasty.

The first Korean alphabet was proclaimed in 1446, under the original name Hunminjeongeum (훈민정음) which means ”the correct sounds to educate people”
Thus the Hunminjeongeum is a manuscript that describes the purpose of the creation, and use of Hangeul.

King Sejong statue in Gwanghwamun Square

The purpose

But what was the purpose of creating Hangeul? Well, korean people long time ago borrowed Chinese characters as a writing system, but learning or expressing oneself with Chinese characters or Hanja was difficult for common people, so its use was limited only to people of the upper classes.
And here comes King Sejong, who created Hangeul to facilitate and make the writing system accessible to people and to lower the national level of illiteracy.

The basics of Hangeul (한글

So now let’s go into more detail: Hangeul is based on 3 forms: sky, earth and the human being. By combining these 3 shapes, they create the vowels of the Hangeul alphabet.

The basic consonants are based on the articulatory forms of the vocal organs, while the additional strokes or duplications of symbols represent variations of the basic consonant sounds. Therefore, consonants and vowels represented by these principles form a very close system, both phonetically and phonologically.

Initially there were 17 consonants and 11 vowels, but some were eliminated and therefore 24 characters remain today. Since King Sejong contributed to the elimination of illiteracy, a ceremony is held every September 8th. In Korea there is also the national holiday of ”Hangeul Day”, celebrated on October 9th each year.

Consonants and vowels

Nowadays there are 40 letters, 19 consonants and 21 vowels:

Table of consonants and their respective sounds

Table of vowels and their respective sounds

*note that romanization may vary depending on where you get your sources

Below I leave you 2 useful videos on how to pronounce vowels and consonants, both simple and complex ones:

Consonants + Vowels pronunciation

Some features

There are 4 different types of Korean syllable structure:

When writing in Hangeul, the letters are not written one after the other like in English for example, but rather grouped into syllables.

There are two different positions for vowels, and they require different positions than consonants.

Vertical vowels are written with the consonants positioned to the left and horizontal vowels are positioned with the consonants positioned above:

Syllables that begin with vowels require the addition of the consonant ”ㅇ”, which has no sound in the initial position, but when placed as an initial consonant, it becomes a ”placeholder”

Syllables that end in a consonant put the final consonant below the vowel

The position of the final consonant in syllables with vertical vowels

The position of consonants in syllables with horizontal vowels

Here a small table of some simple words that you can try to pronounce:

There would be many other rules and things to say about this wonderful language, but for the moment I’ll stop here.
If you want to know more or if you don’t understand something you can leave a comment or write me a message directly on one of my social media.
Furthermore, if by chance you also want a part 2, don’t hesitate to ask me.

Sources: 서울대 한국어 Student’s Book 1A

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February 25, 2024April 8, 2024

There’s nothing better than learning about Korean dialects (사투리)

I don’t know about you but I am particularly fascinated by dialects, especially Korean ones, which is why in this article I will do a little in-depth analysis on this linguistic jewel that characterizes almost all countries, and which in my opinion should be preserved and kept alive considering that they are an important pillar of culture and tradition. In this case the Korean one.

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Korean dialects (사투리)

There are different dialects spoken in Korea, and they originate from one of the eight traditional Korean provinces.
But there is one dialect in particular that stands out; and it is the Jeju dialect, it is in fact considered a language in itself.

The areas

Since Korean dialects have some clear distinctions, they are identified in 6 dialect areas

Let’s look at some examples:

*These dialects are divided according to provincial borders

Gyeonggi dialect (경기도), also called Seoul dialect, is spoken in the cities of Seoul and Incheon (인천). It represents the basis of the so-called standard language of South Korea
The Chungcheong dialect (충청도), is spoken in cities such as Daejeon (대전) and Sejong (세종). This dialect is often used in Korean dramas. The important characteristics of this dialect are that in addition to being the strongest among the central dialects, it has this particularity of being a slow dialect. For example, when the vowel ㅛ (yo) comes at the end, it becomes ㅠ (yu), while when the vowel ㅑ (ya) comes at the end, it becomes ㅕ (yeo).
In the Gangwon Province (강원도), two main dialects are spoken, and they are particularly different from each other: The names of the respective dialects are Yeongseo (영서) – spoken as far as the western Taebaek Mountains (태백 – 강원도) – and Yeongdong (영동) – spoken as far as the eastern part of the Taebaek Mountains.
The Gyeongsang (경상도) dialect is spoken in the cities of Busan, Daegu and Ulsan. This dialect is easily distinguishable from the Seoul dialect, as the intonation is much more varied.
The Jeolla dialect (전라도) is spoken in the Honam (호남) region which includes the city of Gwangju (광주)
Finally we have the dialect of Jeju Island (제주도) off the south-west coast of South Korea, as previously mentioned, being so different from other dialects, it is considered a language in itself

In the following photos you can see how to say ”Welcome” (어서 오세요) in various regional dialects:

Expert research

Some researchers have classified Korean dialects into two categories: Western and Eastern

Therefore, compared to the standard Korean language, the Western dialects have kept the long vowels, while the Western ones have preserved the intonation and accent.

Despite the linguistic differences between the north and south, the two standard languages are still widely understandable, but the biggest difference is that since North Korea is a purely isolated area, there is a lack of linguistic loanwords and anglicisms, therefore the people of North Korea had to find substitutions, such as inventing words or using pure Korean words.

*Below I will leave you a video on Korean dialects that our university teacher also showed us, to better hear and understand the various differences between the dialects and accents.

Dave’s video about korean dialects

Part 2

However, I always recommend going to visit the various regions and provinces to hear the local people speaking their dialects for yourself, which may be a little difficult to understand if you don’t know standard Korean first, but in any case I find it educational to understand how these dialects were formed and how different they are from the standard language.

*Sources: Wikipedia

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February 18, 2024April 8, 2024

Insadong (인사동): The heart of Korean tradition

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We all know that when visiting a country, one of the most important things is to get to know and immerse yourself in the culture of the place, which is why today I will tell you about one of the most traditional neighborhoods in Seoul: Insadong!

But where is Insadong located, and how was this neighborhood born?

Insadong (인사동) is located in the Jongno district – we have already encountered this district in previous articles –

Anyway: Insadong is made up of many small streets that brings you to different areas of the city, plus, this beautiful neighborhood is home to a vast number of art galleries and tea houses, and is also known in history as the largest antique and art market in Korea.

Insadong began 500 years ago as a residence area for officials, and after the end of the Korean War, this area became the center of cafés and artistic culture.
Furthermore, this area became very popular among foreigners during the Seoul Olympics in 1988. Continuing to attract tourists from all over the world, this neighborhood offers traditional-style accommodation, cafés and restaurants.

Insadong the heart of korean tradition — **Insadong (인사동) street**

So what to do in Insadong?

Well first of all it is an excellent place to fully experience Korean tradition, visit the artisan shops that sell traditional products such as ceramic objects, tea and traditional Hanji paper (한지) and its calligraphy brushes. -I highly recommend this area to buy souvenirs as you have the possibility to find cheap or slightly more expensive items depending on your budget-
You can also take long walks through the streets of the neighborhood and find your own suitable place to eat something or drink a traditional coffee or tea.

Ssamziegil (쌈지길)

Ssamziegil (쌈지길) is a shopping center located in the heart of Insadong and is the center of many small artisan shops, cafes and art galleries. The interesting thing about this place is that in addition to being outdoors you have the possibility of going up a spiral encountering a vast amount of tradition, including food and handmade objects. At the top of the shopping center you can also have a nice view of the neighborhood and its surroundings.

**View from the rooftop of** **Ssamziegil (쌈지길)**

Address: 44 Insadong-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Annyeong Insadong (안녕인사동)

About 1 minute walking from Ssamziegil (쌈지길), there is another shopping mall, called Annyeong Insadong (안녕인사동), this place also offers many activities to do and cafes to visit. I would really like to recommend you to stop by Seollaeneun Majung (설레는마중) café, this place offers delicious traditional Korean desserts, such as Hangeul Bread (한글빵) -the red bean ones are amazing, I recommend you try them-

And if you are a fan of Line characters, you can find their ”Line Friends” store as well.

Annyeong Insadong the korean tradition — **Annyeong Insadong (안녕인사동) entrance**

Address: 49 Insadong-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea

What to see nearby?

Since we are in the center of Seoul, there are a thousand other activities you can do but I personally feel like recommending two places in particular: first of all I find it necessary to check out the Jogyesa temple (조계사), which is the main temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. (4 minutes walk from the two shopping centers)

Address: 55, Ujeongguk-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Insadong temple, korean tradition — **Jogyesa temple**

The second place I would like to recommend is the ”Seoul museum of craft art” (서울공예박물관) which exhibits a series of traditional and modern Korean crafts. (also 4 minutes walk by the main street of Insadong)

Address: 4 Yulgok-ro 3-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea

How to get there

The direct subway lines to get to Insadong are: Line 1 (the blue one) with stop at Jonggak Station (종각역), or you can also get off at Jongno 3ga (종로3가역)
You can also take subway line 3 (the orange one), and get off at Anguk Station (안국역) -exit 6-

*all photos were taken by me

*Sources for the historical part: Wikipedia

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February 13, 2024April 8, 2024

This historical figure is one of the most important in Korean history

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Today I would like to talk about something a little different, since Korean history is very interesting and rich, I think it is right to delve into it as much as possible and give it the right relevance. That’s why in this article I will tell you about one of the most important historical figures in the country: Korean admiral and soldier Yi Sun-sin (이순신)

Who is Yi Sun-sin?

Yi Sun-sin was born on April 28, 1545 in Hanseong (한성) the modern day Seoul. At 22 he began training for a military career and at 28 he attempted for the first time the exam to enter military service as an officer. Unfortunately, however, he failed due to a bad fall from his horse, where he broke his leg. But with a lot of willpower he managed to pass the exam on the second attempt, at the age of 32, making him the oldest of all the new officers.

**Statue of Admiral Yi Sun-sin** **(이순신)**

From the Army to the Navy

Admiral Yi Sun-sin was a very intransigent and determinate person, therefore this character of his brought a lot of antipathy among his superiors and since this moral integrity of his did not go down well with his officers, one of them managed to have him imprisoned and in August of 1587 he also managed to have him demoted to a simple soldier.
But in 1588 he fought a battle against the Jurchen on the Tumen River. The conduct of this battle caused him to partially rehabilitate.
In 1587 there was a Japanese invasion in Goheung County (고흫군), due to this invasion, fear of a possible attack spread. For this reason, the border defense council established the importance of hiring capable officers, which is why Yi Sun-sin was recommended to the King, due to his great military skills.
In 1591, at the age of 47, he became commander of the naval forces of Jeolla Province (전라도) and was tasked with defending the western waters of the south of the country. Despite his little experience, he committed himself to strengthening the marine forces under his command.

The Imji War

In 1592 , Japan invaded Korea landing near the city of Busan and unfortunately the Japanese army was too strong and managed to conquer Seoul and Pyongyang (평양). Despite this, the Korean navy was not completely annihilated, in fact in June 1592 Yi Sun-sin received the order to face the Japanese navy. He therefore managed to defeat all the ships he managed to locate, making the most of the Korean ships (panokseon-판옥선).

In the subsequent clashes the Koreans managed to defeat the enemy ships without suffering any losses. Yi Sun-sin therefore managed to destroy the Japanese ships without too many consequences and bring one victory after another.

With China’s entry into the conflict in 1594, there was a truce between the 3 countries, and negotiations began. But in 1597, the war resumed with a new Japanese landing, but in this case the Korean defense was weak, because Yi Sun-sin was arrested for refusing to attack the Japanese fleets in the Busan area, as he did not consider it suitable.

Yi Sun-sin was imprisoned by Gwon Yul (권율) and the command of the fleet passed to Won Gyun (원균) who, however, not being able to manage the Korean ships, led the mission to disaster, causing almost all the ships to be destroyed, in fact after his death, only 12 remained. King Seonjo eventually returned command to Yi Sun-sin.

The Battle of Noryang (노량)

In December 1598, together with the Chinese admiral Chen Lien, Yi Sun-sin fought his last battle.
The two fleets (Chinese and Korean) attacked the Japanese one, which was withdrawing its troops.
Unfortunately Yi Sun-sin died hit by an enemy dart, but despite this, he died with pride, becoming one of the heroes of national history.

Kobukson (거북선)

Yi Sun-sin was also the ”inventor” of the turtle ship (kobukson) – if you want to see a replica of the ship, you can find it at the War Memorial museum. You can also find more information in my article ”Visit the best museums in South Korea” –

Coming back to us: I put quotation marks on inventor because the kobuksons already existed before, but Yi Sun-sin renewed and perfected them, also being so robust this type of ship accommodated around 150 sailors.

Museum

You can see the Yi Sun-sin statue in Gwanghwamun Square (광화문) in central Seoul. Also, under the statue it is possible to visit a small museum, dedicated to the story of Admiral Yi Sun-sin (충무공 이야기) and King Sejong (세종 이야기).

Historical figure Yi Sun-sin — **Gwanghwamun Square (광화문)**

If you want more information, you can visit the museum’s website: 세종충무공이야기

Entry: free

Address: 175, Sejong-daero, Jongno-gu, Seoul – 서울특별시 종로구 세종대로 지하 175

Sources:

Wikipedia
Storia della Corea by Maurizio Riotti

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