We visited here on our first trip to Seoul. It is right in the centre of the city. Some of the palace buildings are traditional Korean, others are European. Deoksugung Palace originally belonged to Wolsandaegun (1454~1488), the older brother of King Seongjong (1469~1494) of the Joseon Dynasty.
On passing through the main palace gate visitors will cross a stone bridge.
During the Japanese invasion of 1592, all other palace buildings were destroyed by fire so King Seonjo (1567-1608) established a temporary residence here. King Gwanghaegun (1608-1623), his succesor, named the palace Gyeongungung in 1611.
Deoksugung Palace is the only palace in Seoul that also contains western style buildings. Seokjojeon is one of the western-style buildings that remain in Deoksugung. It was built by a British man. Then in 1905 the property rights of this building were transferred to Japan. This building was completed in 1910. At one time Seokjojeon was a Japanese art gallery open to the public. When Korea became independent, the American-Russian joint commission was held here in May 1946. The east wing of Seokjogwan building now houses a Palace Treasure exhibition, and the west wing is part of the National Modern Arts Center.