South Korea Day 4

Day 4 Part 1
November 29, 2018

We were very excited to finally visit the Gyeongbokgung Palace grounds. What an amazingly grand and beautiful site! The Korean government has only so far rebuilt 25% of the palace’s original blueprint after the Japanese conquerors destroyed what was Joseon era’s main seat of government and royal home. We just made it in time to catch an English language tour of the grounds and to see a quick changing of the guards ceremony in front of the Gwanghwamun gate. ⛩

As we entered the grounds, my sister saw a teeny weeny speck of snow fly by. It was so close to snowing that day. She would’ve been very happy, as she has not experienced a snow event before. We were debating whether or not to rent hanboks (Korean traditional costumes) like other tourists walking around in them did, but we were too lazy to go through all the layers of clothing we were wearing that day. So, we decided to skip the hanboks.

Separated by a gate but connected to the Gyeongbokgung Palace grounds is the Korean Folk Museum, which was probably my favorite of all the structures I have seen in Korea at that point. We took pictures in front of the beautifully constructed architecture. Behind the palace back gate is the Presidential Blue House, the executive office and official residence of the current head of state. We took a quick picture from across the street and concluded our tour.

Across Gwanghwamun Gate is Gwanghwamun Square, where towering statues of King Sejong and Admiral Yi Sun-sin now stand. 

Here's a link to more information on the grand Gyeongbokgung Palace.