Gyeongbokgung (경복궁)
Our group was exceptionally large for touring today: in addition to our group, a Korean friend of the professor's, another student's brother, and the brother's military friends all joined us for our exploring.
As I stated above, Gyeongbokgung (경복궁) was the main royal palace of the Joseon dynasty. Built in 1395, Gyeongbokgung is the largest of the Five Grand Palaces built by the Joseon dynasty. The palace burned to the ground during the Japanese invasion of 1592, and lay dormant for 273 years until being rebuilt in 1867. The restoration included 330 buildings crowded together in a labyrinth configuration. Unfortunately, when Japan took over Korea in 1915 they destroyed the palace again.
Reconstruction efforts began again in 1990. In 1996 the Japanese military building built on top of the ruins was destroyed, and the Heungnyemun Gate (2001) and Gwanghwamun Gate (2006-2010) were reconstructed in their original locations and forms, along with reconstructions of the Inner Court and Crown Prince’s residence. By the end of 2009, it was estimated approximately 40 percent of the structures that were standing before the Japanese occupation of Korea were restored or reconstructed. Another 20-year restoration project is planned by the South Korean government to restore Gyeongbokgung to its former status.
After we finished exploring Gyeongbokgung (경복궁), the professor's Korean friend took us to the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. Since he volunteered there a lot, the museum let our whole group in for free!
After finishing at the art museum, I took the youngest girl in our group to explore Hongdae (홍대). I unfortunately could not find the noraebang (노래방), Korean karaoke, that my Korean friend took me too, but we had fun wandering and shopping nonetheless!