• Journal of architectural history
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.79-88
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• 2018

Foreign Reception Hall in Gyeongungung Palace was constructed during 1899-1902 according to Yesigjangjeong (禮式章程), Korean Empire's modern diplomatic protocol. This bulilding is a case worthy of notice, because its construction process was written in Jubon(奏本), Korean Empire's official document. Yesigjangjeong(禮式章程) regulates the process of diplomat's audience with Emperor Gojong. The process suggested that Foreign Reception Hall was designed as the place of the end as well as the beginning for audience. According to the process, diplomat came through main gate, Daehanmun and outer gate of main hall(Junghwajeon Hall, Audience Hall), then arrived at the stair to Foreign Reception Hall. After waiting time in the hall, he was going to be granted an audience with Emperor. And he exited through Foreign Reception Hall as the reverse way. This hall was constructed as western-style. Subcontracted carpenters and wood sculptors and laborers from China represents that chinese workers were prevailed in the government construction at that time. And modern building materials, such as glass, colored brick, sanitary wares and lightings were applied, which showed the new landscape in the middle of Gyeongungung Palace. Above all, official documents related with this hall reveals Korean Empire supervised this construction for diplomatic protocol. That is the identity of western-style buildings in Gyeongungung Palace.

• Journal of architectural history
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.27-42
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• 2018

This study aims to reinterpret Jeonggwanheon(靜觀軒) in terms of its use and architectural style after restoration work through the recently discovered [Deoksugung Palace's original plan](1915). It is presupposed that the existing interpretation of Jeonggwanheon, such as its status as the banquet hall of the Imperial Empire and the place where Emperor Gojong enjoyed coffee here, was a fantasy made from the transformation after the 1930s. When it was built around 1900, Jeonggwanheon arranged small and large rooms around the corridor in the center, and the porch surrounded the three sides of the building. From 1900 to 1907, there is no remaining record telling us who did what or when something happened in Jeonggwanheon except for several portraits of Emperor Gojong and his son which were drawn in 1902. The mixed use of brickwork and wooden porch are found in many of American style houses built in Incheon and Seoul at that time. Especially, the style and decoration of wooden porch seem to be influenced by Queen Anne style in the 19th century in America.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Traditional Landscape Architecture
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.22-32
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• 2021

The Seonwonjeon(璿源殿) in the Deoksugung Palace was initially the ritual space for the royal family affiliated with the Gyeongungung Palace during the Korean Empire. It is currently, however, empty, as a landscape restoration and maintenance plan is established as a part of the restoration project for the Seonwonjeon area. The following results were obtained through the historical investigation of the original form and examination of similar cases. First, the original topography of the backside grove, which had been in the Seonwonjeon area, is 3.0-5.0m higher than the base of the building, and a terraced flower bed(花階) was installed on the border of the green to set off the difference in a scenic way. Second, the backside grove was composed with fruit trees to bear fruits used in rites and pine trees which symbolize the ritual space. Third, resting places were established at both ends of the site for the convenience of visitors without interrupting the atmosphere of the sacred ground. A trail was also created inside the backside grove along with minimum landscape elements, including functionally required items, such as the signboard, bench, tree guard, ramp, street lights, and landscaping lights. Fourth, the information on original planting in the palace and ritual space was extracted through historical materials, such as literatures, antique paintings, and photographs along with site surveys. Based on the information acquired, a planting plan was established for the courtyard, pedestrian road, resting places, terraced flower bed, pine grove, and fruit tree garden, which constitute the landscaping space of the Seonwonjeon area.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Library and Information Science
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.213-239
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• 2022

This study attempted to organize the transition process of Royal Library (Gyujanggak) in chronological order, analyze the flow and find diachronic meaning during Gojong period, the most confused time at home and abroad prior to modernization. For this, first, the total status quo of King Gojong's library and book storage which played role of Royal Library and a personal library in Gojong period was investigated. Second, based on the current status of the investigation, the transition process from the Royal library in the early days of King Gojong to the Imperial library during the Korean Empire and its meaning were considered with the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, Seungjeongwon diary, various catalogs and historical records. Third, the changes of space-time and aspect of Royal library through the palace of Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, and Gyeongungung were examined to draw a sociopolitical meaning by schematizing each palace. As a result, first, King Gojong conjugated Kyujanggak as a device to strengthen the royal authority and accommodate Western culture in the process of modernization. Second, the crucial spaces containing the political orientation of King Gojong, such as the present king's portrait storage place, library(book storage), and office, formed a separate hall across Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Gyeongungung, and gradually changed into a Western architectural style.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.120-137
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• 2021

There were five palaces built during the Joseon Period. Gyeongbokgung Palace was the first one, founded in the 4th year of King Taejo (1395), and depending on the historical interpretation, Changdeokgung Palace, Changgyeonggung Palace, Gyeongungung Palace (Deoksugung), and Gyeongdeokgung Palace (Gyeonghuigung) were also built. The palaces represent the best architecture of the time. In addition, the palaces of the Joseon period have been rebuilt several times, so they contain the architectural history of the Joseon period over the last 500 years. In this paper, all the excavations of five palaces in the Joseon Period were surveyed, and the foundations of the buildings were analyzed. In particular, the aim of this paper is to investigate Jeoksim (foundations of buildings under cornerstone) to understand the characteristics of each palace by period. Accordingly, the changes of the construction techniques of the foundations of the palaces were studied. There are a total of 23 types of Jeoksim. All five palaces have a certain type (I~V) of construction technique, thus it was confirmed that there was a certain pattern in the method of constructing the foundations of palace buildings in the Joseon Dynasty. In addition, Jeoksim was mainly built by certain materials and construction methods (I-1) during the 14th to the 17th century, but new types of Jeoksim were built in the palaces starting from the 18th century, during the reign of King Jeongjo. In the 19th century, when King Gojong sat on the throne, the Jeoksim was built in various shapes, materials, and in 22 types of construction methods. Up to now, research on the remains of palaces were mainly conducted on the Gyeongbokgung Palace, so it was not possible to confirm the foundations of 17th-18th century buildings, where reconstruction had stopped after the Imjin War in 1592. However, through this study, it was possible to classify the transition periodsstheir features periods of palace building foundation construction from the 14th to the 20th century by comparing the remains of five palace building sites.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.281-304
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• 2022

Heungdeokjeon was the first pavilion built on the site of Sueocheong during the expansion of Gyeongungung. In this study, we tried to clarify the specific construction process of Heungdeokjeon, which was used for various purposes such as the copy location for Portraits of ancestors, temporary enshrinement site, and the funeral building for the rest of the body, which is Binjeon. In addition, we tried to confirm the historical value based on the characteristics derived by the history of the building and the rituals performed. Heungdeokjeon began to be built in the second half of 1899, and is estimated to have been completed between mid-February and mid-March 1900. It was a ritual facility equipped with waiting rooms for the emperor and royal ladies as an annex. The relocation work was planned in April 1901 and began in earnest after June, and it was closely linked to the construction of attached buildings of Seonwonjeon. In addition, comparing the records on the construction and relocation cost of Heungdeokjeon with those related to the reconstruction of Seonwonjeon, it was confirmed that annex buildings of Heungdeokjeon were relocated and used as annex buildings of Seonwonjeon. The characteristics identified in the process of Heungdeokjeon used as a place to copy portraits are as follows. First, it was used as a place to copy portraits twice in a short period of time. Second, it was the place where the first unprecedented works were carried out in relation to the copying of portraits. Third, the pavilion, which was specially built for imperial rituals, was used as a place to copy portraits. Since then, it has been used as a funeral building for the rest of the body, and features different from those of the previous period are identified. It was the building dedicated to rituals for use as Binjeon, and was also a multipurpose building for copying portraits. In other words, Heungdeokjeon, along with Gyeongbokgung Taewonjeon, is the building that shows the changes in the operation of Binjeon in the late Joseon Dynasty. Characteristics are also confirmed in portrait-related rituals performed at Heungdeokjeon. The first is that Jakheonlye was practiced frequently in a short period of time. The second is that the ancestral rites of Sokjeolje and Bunhyang in Sakmangil, which are mainly held in the provincial Jinjeon, were identified. This is a very rare case in Jinjeon of the palace. The last is that Jeonbae, jeonal, and Bongsim were implemented mutiple times. In conclusion, Heungdeokjeon can be said to be a very symbolic building that shows the intention of Gojong, who valued imperial rituals, and the characteristics of the reconstruction process of Gyeongungung.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Traditional Landscape Architecture
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.26-42
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• 2022

The purpose of this study is to examine and understand the area and the original outer boundaries of Hamchunwon(含春苑), which was the outer royal garden of Gyeonghuigung Palace, which existed before the site of the Russian legation. The results of the study are as follows. First, examining the 3 types of drawings prepared for securing the Russian legation's site and constructing a new building, it was confirmed that two low peaks, which appear to be the original terrain of Hamchunwon, existed in the north and south directions inside the site. According to the initial plan of the of the legation's site, it appears that the entrance of the legation building is connected to the Saemunan-ro in the northwest. However, according to the report made at the time when the Russian temporary minister Veber purchased the legation's site, it was recorded that the site already had a narrow entrance and a dirt road in place, and hence, it was connected to Saemunan-ro. This fact makes it possible to learn that the line of movement for officials and the original gate were located to the northwest of the site planned as the entrance of the legation building towards Hamchunwon. Second, the site was created by cutting the top of the high hill at the time of the construction of the legation building, and as a result, a two tiered staircase typed terrace was built. The ground on which the main building and the secretary's building, etc., were erected was made by cutting the highest peak and solidifying it flat, and a large quantity of soil was used for grading. In the case of the northern area of the main building, the traces of leveling the terrain by cutting the mountains are apparent, and an observation typed garden with a walking path and pavilion was formed by utilizing the physical environment equipped with an easy view. This may be considered as a use which is consistent with the topographical conditions of creating an outer royal garden to block the civilian views on a high terrain overlooking the palace. Third, Hamchunwon's fences were partially exposed in the photos from the 1880s through the 1890s, which demonstrate the spatial changes made around the US, UK, and the Russian legations. As a result of the photo analysis performed, Hamchunwon occupies the northern area of the Russian legation's site, and it is estimated that the north, west, and east walls of the legation resembled those of Hamchunwon. The area to the south of the Russian legation was originally a place made available for civilian houses, and it was possible to examine the circumstances of purchasing dozens of civilian houses and farmlands according to various materials. Fourth, Hamchunwon, which was formed as the outer royal garden of Gyeongdeokgung Palace of Lord Gwanghaegun, lost its sense of place as an outer royal garden when the entire building of Gyeonghuigung Palace was torn down and used as a construction members during the reconstruction of Gyeongbokgung Palace, and faded away as the site was sold to Russia around 1885. The area where Hamchunwon used to be located transformed into a core space of the Russian legation where the main building and garden were located after the construction of the new building. Hence, Hamchunwon, which was limited to the northern area of the Russian legation, does not carry the temporal and spatial context with Gyeongungung Palace and Seonwonjeon which were constructed after 1897, and it is determined that the view of Seonwonjeon as Baehoorim or Baegyeongrim is not valid.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Traditional Landscape Architecture
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.16-37
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• 2015

As a result of analyzing the forming and the transformations of Seokjojeon Hall garden by linking it to the changes of Deoksugung Palace influenced by the social atmosphere, the Seokjojeon garden can be classified into four phases. The first phase starts from 1896 to 1914. Gyeongungung was built in the late 19th century(1896-1897) as an official palace and Junghwajeon Hall and Seokjojeon Hall was built for Gojong. J.M.Brown was in charge of the construction of Seokjojeon in the beginning but H.W.Davidson saw the end also set up the garden. In the process of forming the garden the incorporating of Dondeokjeon Hall and the demolishing of the west wing corridors of Junghwajeon Hall occurred. At this phase of the garden a statue of an eagle was put up in the garden but was soon taken down. The shape of the garden was quiet simple with a central axial pathway, a round assorted flower bed placed in front of Seokjojeon Hall. The second phase starts from 1915 to 1932 which lasted for 17 years. At the last years of the Great Han Empire the duties of Gungnaebu(宮內府) was transferred to Leewangjik(李王職) in 1911 and a research on the existing buildings was done by Jujeonkwa(主殿課) in 1915. According to the research drawings, the garden still maintained the axial pathway formed in the previous phase but the garden had an asymmetric form. The flower bed was formed in a round shape and an open-knot technique and boundary plantation was applied to the garden. The third phase starts from 1933 to 1937 and is the period when Seokjojeon Hall was made public. By the year of 1932 many buildings of Deoksugung Palace had been demolished in the preparation of the opening of Seokjojeon Hall as a permanent exhibition hall. The central axial pathway still remained in the new garden and added a pond with a turtle statue in the center. The fourth phase starts from 1938 until the liberation from Japan and is the period when Deoksugung Palace became a park. Yi Royal-Family Museum was built and linked to Seokjojeon Hall with a bridge and the garden transformed into a sunken garden. The garden adopted a fountain and a pagora. Despite the minor changes in the after years the garden still posses most of its form from the fourth phase. As we can see the current garden of Seokjojeon Hall is not the same as the initial garden and therefor the importance of this study lies in the fact that modifications to the statements regarding to Seokjojeon Hall garden should be made.