Very cold morning in Seoul: 17°F. Walking from the train station through south gate, I soon encountered a large rally on the street near City Hall. The American flags and "stop the steal" signs told me this was a pro-Yoon rally (1). It seemed quite orderly with marshalls directing people, portable bathrooms, and vendors selling food and flags.
Entering the Deoksugung Palace complex across from City Hall, I discovered that the changing of the guard ceremony was cancelled due to the protest, which was very audible just outside the Palace complex walls. The original Palace dates from 1593, and served as secondary Palace during much of the Joeson Dynasty (1392 to 1897). The post- WW2 US-USSR Joint commission was based here in the late 1940s.
The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art is on the palace grounds (and is heated). An exhibit of ink wash paintings from China was on display, including a very artistic representation of a coal mine. A nice stroll along the south and west walls (2) of Deoksugung Palace revealed the large US Embassy compound just to the west.
Seoul was founded in 1394 by the first Joeson King (3). Centrally located, surrounded by mountains, and with the Han river nearby, the location was picked by the King as the ideal location for the capital. The Seoul History Museum offers rooms for each period of Seoul's History, with a single page summary provided in each room. The Gyeonghuigung Palace is in the same area as history museum. The man at the gate seemed very happy to see a foreigner today.
An anti-Yoon protest was between me and the main Gyeongbokgung Palace (4). At the Bukchon Hanok Village neighborhood (just west of Gyeongbokgung) there was innumerable Hanbok (traditional dress) rental shops and a coffee shop selling pasteis de nata (Portuguese egg tarts), with Portuguese signs on the wall. Crossing the protest area, I pointed at something good on a food truck, and got an egg and cheese thing cooked in sweet bread mix (5).
The main palace during the Joeson dynasty was at Gyeongbokgung. Much of which was razed during the Japanese occupation, and rebuilt after 1945. An English language tour started 5 minutes after my arrival and the guide called me over to a sunny spot to wait. The complex was built on gently sloping ground to encourage hood drainage. The bedrooms in the Palace compound featured heated floors for the cold winters.
This main palace of the Joeson Dynasty was the site of the creation of the Korean script, hanjul, by King Sejong the Great in 1443 to encorage literacy (6). Confucian scholars objected to its use, slanda it fell out of favor in the early 1500s. Hanjul was resurrected in 1945 after Korea regained its independence.
A noisy anti-Yoon rally was being held just outside the Palace gates. The police had created a buffer zone between the pro and anti-Yoon demonstrators. I had nice Korean barbecue with some colleagues who happened to be on town tonight.
(1) In December 2024, Korean President Yoon declared martial law and sent troops to close parliament. Parliament was able to rescind martial law before the troops arrived, and subsequently impeached the president, who has refused to leave office. A standoff ensued on January 3rd, when prosecutors tried to arrest the president, but the presidential guard resisted. Large rallies have gathered in Seoul, both for and against Yoon. Those supporting the president carry Korean and American flags (a) and wave bilingual "stop the steal" placards (b).
(a) Consistent with the right wing nature of Yoon's party, Israeli flags are also a frequent sight. Various pucture signs suggest that the parliamentary leader is a stalking horse for North Korea and/or China.
(b) Stemming from the large losses in parliamentary elections by Yoon's party, which (in the protesters' view) must have been fraudulent.
(2) Avoiding the noisy pro-Yoon rally to the east.
(3) A general named Yi Sŏng-gye overthrew the Goreyo dynasty and appointed his son as the first king (c) of the new dynasty. The Joeson (d) dynasty lasted into the late 1800s.
(c) Korea had kings, not emperors. While totally independent, the Korean kings were nominally subordinate to the Chinese emperors.
(d) Sometimes transliterated as "Chosun." When I was young, some old books still referred to Korea as Chosun (i).
(i) A national newspaper is called the Chosun Ilbo.
(4) Not speaking any Korean, the anit-Yoon nature of the rally was apparent by the absence of American flags, and the presence of a Palestinian one.
(5) It was so good, I went back to get another, delighting the vendor.
(6) King Sejong is depicted on the common 10,000 won notes (d). His birthday (May 15) is celebrated in Korea as National Teachers Day.
(d) The won (₩) has decreased in value recently as a result of the current political uncertainty in Korea. The current value of 10,000 won is about $6.80, down from about $7.50.
At Deoksugung Palace
Places for officials to stand to greet the king.The Chinese characters for 1 to 10 signaled the stature of the officials.
Ink-wash paintings from the PRC at the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in the Palace complex
Watercolors
South wall
Palace complex west wall. Note the building in the background built in the late 1800s for entertaining foreign diplomats. The US Assembly is to the right, with the flag at half-staff in honor of the recent death of Jimmy Carter.
Picture at Seoul History Museum celebrating liberation from Japanese control
At Gyeonghuigung Palace
Eurasian Magpie
Note the harmonious location of Gyeongbokgung Palace relative to the mountains.
Gibbous moon rising over the palace
The throne room. Five mountains are in tge background. The sun and moon represent the king and queen.
King Sejong the Great, Inventor of Hanjul on a common Korean bank note
Lakeside Pavillion for entertaining
Stylistic chimney for heated floors
Light fading at palace
Anti-Yoon protest outside Gyeongbokgung Palace gate
Pro-Yoon protester confronted by Anti-Yoon protesters
Pro-Yoon protest winding down
Back through South Gate
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