Gyeongbokgung Palace was the first and largest of the royal palaces built during the Joseon Dynasty. Built in 1395, Gyeongbokgung Palace was located at the heart of the newly appointed capital of Seoul (then known as Hanyang) and represented the sovereignty of the Joseon Dynasty. The largest of the Five Grand Palaces (the others being Gyeonghuigung Palace, Deoksugung Palace, Changgyeonggung Palace, Changdeokgung Palace), Gyeongbokgung served as the main palace of the Joseon Dynasty.
The Korean government has invested much time and effort into rebuilding, restoring, and maintaining the palace for future generations. These efforts include work to rebuild and restore the buildings that were destroyed during the Japanese occupation. Visitors to Gyeongbokgung can also visit the National Palace Museum of Korea and the National Folk Museum of Korea as they are located on the palace grounds.
To increase ease of accessibility from Gyeongbokgung Palace to Seochon and vice versa, the palace’s western gate, Yeongchumun, was opened to the public on December 2018. For the past 43 years, there were only 3 entrances to Gyeongbokgung Palace – the southern gate Gwanghwamun, the northern gate Sinmumun, and the eastern entrance of National folk Museum of Korea. However, with the opening of the western gate Yeongchumun, entry to the palace from all directions has been now made possible.