Jungmyeongjeon Hall

Historic Jungmyeongjeon Hall

Facade of Jungmyeongjeon Hall

Jungmyeongjeon Hall

Jungmyeongjeon Hall near Jeongdong Road in Sodaemun area is one of the places I have visited a countless of times. Not only because I worked nearby but because the building itself has a very sad story to tell. Most of all, I just love the design of the building although it is old.

Now, what you can find on this page are the description which I mostly borrowed from the hall's information, which is my major source of information. Hope you will find this site interesting and will drop by in case you are in the area, which is by the way surrounded by historic sites and structures.

Visitation Time:

Opening Hours: 9:30~5:50PM

Closed on Mondays

Free Admission

Transportation:

Subway: City Hall Station - Exit 2, Line 1; Exit 12, Line 2)

Phone: +82-2-771-9951

Jungmeyongjeon of Deoksu Palace was originally built as a royal library in 1897. It was designed by Seredin-Sabatin, a Russian architect, to be one of Korea's earliest Western-style buildings and reflect the strong will of Emperor Gojong towards the modernization of his empire. 

It was originally named Suok-heon, but the name was changed to the current one after Emperor Gojoing designated it as his new official residence following the fire that severely damaged Gyeonggun Palace in 1904. 

A Former Residential Area

The Jungmeyongjeon Area was a residential area for Western missionaries. It got incorporated into the Deoksugung Palace (formerly Gyeongungung Palace) when it expanded its premises in 1897. Since the American legation had already been established between here and the main buildings of Deoksu Palace, this residential area turned into a separate palace.

Jungmyeongjeon Hall was originally a single-story and Western-style building but was rebuilt as a two-story after the original one was destroyed by fire in 1901. Ten more buildings were in the area but they were destroyed including the Hwanbyeokjeong and Manhuidang Hall.

Emperor Gojong's Letter

A witness to the Coerced Eulsa Treaty

It was in the early morning on November 18, 1905, that the notorious Eulsa Treaty was forced to be signed at Jungmyeongjeon. A group of Japanese imperialists struck into the official residence of Emperor Gojong with their armed forces and threatened Emperor Gojong and his ministers to sign the "protectorate treaty". With the treaty, the Great Han Empire lost its diplomatic sovereignty and had to allow the establishment of the Residency-General of Japan.

Eulsa Treaty

Royal Stamp of Emperor Gojong

The Empire Before and After the Eulsaneukyak

The Daehan Empire strived to maintain its independence with the support of the world powers. However, Imperial Japan had already persuaded other world powers to recognize its plan to incorporate Korea into its territory through a process of negotiation or war. Following the forced signing of the Eulsaneukyak, the Koreans offered strong resistance, but in vain. Ultimately, Emperor Gojong was dethroned and Korea became a Japanese colony. 

Emperor Gojong Dispatched Envoys

Following the forced signing of the Eulsaneukyak, Emperor Gojong dispatched special envoys to Western countries asking for their aid. The special envoys strived to announce the invalidity of the Eulsaneukyak and reveal the Japanese imperialists' barbarous acts to the world. However, imperialism was the world order within the international community and Korea's cries for help went unnoticed. 

In 1907, Emperor Gojong sent three special envoys, Yi Jun, Yi Sang-seol, and Yi Wi-jong, to the Second World War Peace Conference that was held in The Hague. They tried to announce to the world that the Eulsa Treaty was signed by force and against the will of the people. However, unable to join the meeting, the envoys attempted to make diplomatic efforts informing the position of the Korean government regarding the treaty. For example, petitions to the delegates of the participating countries, and interviewed with the Courier de la Conference de la Paix.

Side Veranda

Lawn area

Sitting area and garden

Emperor Gojong and Jungmyeonjeong

A big fire engulfed Gyeongun Palace (today's Deoksu Palace) in 1904 forcing Emperor Gojong to take shelter at Jungmyeongjeon. Since then, Jungmyeongjeon became the official residence and office of the emperor for three and a half years until he handed over his throne in 1907 to Emperor Sunjong his successor. 

Manhuidang Hall

Manhuidang Hall is where Emperor Gojong's bedchamber is located. It is not known when the hall was originally built, however, it became the imperial bedroom after the Emperor moved his residence to Jungmyeongjeon Hall when a great fire destroyed most of the buildings of Deoksugung Palace in 1904. Some believed that Manhuidang was demolished after the Emperor found a new bedroom in Hamnyeongjeon Hall in Deoksugung in 1907.

Jungmyeongjeon Hall and Manhuidang Hall around 1905

Manhuidang Hall area

During an excavation project in Manhuidang Hall area in 2009, there were trances found proving that Manhuidang existed and that there was a pool. The Manhuidang and Jungmyeongjeon Hall were social club structures for foreigners staying in Seoul during the Japanese occupation.

Hallway of Jungmyeongjeon Hall

Thanks for reading.