Gyeongbokgung Palace

History of Geongbokgung Palace.  In 1395, three years after the founding of the Joseon Dynasty by Yi Seong-gye the new main palace, Gyeongbokgung, was completed and the capital of the new dynasty was moved from Gaeseong to Seoul.   The palace was destroyed by fire during the Japanese invasion of 1592 and was not reconstructed until 1868, the fifth year of King Gojong.  During the Japanese occupation, most of the palace was torn down, only a few buildings were left standing.  An effort to fully restore Gyeongbokgung to its forer glorty has been ongoing since 1990.  At this point 50% of the structures have been restored.

Here’s the palace and the guards watching over it. The kids were a little uncomfortable with the swords, bows and arrows and other weapons.

This is the only picture of the 5 mountains and two moons.  It’s where the King conducted his official business.

 

Here’s the national folk museum with a free childrens museum of activities the kids can do like they did way back then.  Grinding food, ironing clothes, and even dressing up.