Explore Seoul

Deoksugung is a royal palace in central Seoul, first used as a temporary residence during the Imjin War of 1592–1598 and made the main palace of the Korean Empire by Emperor Gojong in 1897. Traditional halls such as the throne hall Junghwajeon stand beside Western-style buildings, including the stone Seokjojeon completed in 1910.

Changgyeonggung is a Joseon palace next to Changdeokgung, first built by King Sejong in 1418 for his retired father and enlarged in 1483. Its throne hall Myeongjeongjeon dates from 1616; under Japanese rule the grounds became a zoo and park, removed in 1983. The Chundangji pond and a glass greenhouse from 1909 stand in the garden.

Changdeokgung is a Joseon royal palace founded in 1405 east of Gyeongbokgung. Rebuilt after the 1592 invasion, it was the kings' main residence for more than two centuries, its halls set into the wooded hills; the throne hall Injeongjeon faces a stone court, and the rear garden Huwon, with pavilions and ponds, is seen on timed tours. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Gyeongbokgung is the main royal palace of the Joseon dynasty, founded in 1395 in northern Seoul. Burned in 1592, rebuilt under King Gojong in the 1860s and largely dismantled under Japanese rule, it has been restored since 1990; visitors see the Geunjeongjeon throne hall, the Gyeonghoeru pavilion on its pond and the guard ceremony at Gwanghwamun.

A former prison in Seodaemun District, opened by the Japanese colonial authorities in 1908, where Korean independence activists such as Yu Gwan-sun were held, tortured and executed. Closed in 1987, it reopened in 1998 as a history hall; eleven original buildings, including red-brick cell blocks and the execution building, stand in Seodaemun Independence Park.