Have you heard about the term “Gujunggungwol”? It originated from the fact that people had to pass nine walls to reach the royal residence of the king in the palace. Located deep within the palace, Gangnyeonjeon Hall, is the king's personal quarters and place of residence. It was also called “Naejeon,” or the inner court. It is used by the kings for cabinet meetings and other leisure activities. "Gangnyeong" means "healthy and comfortable." Quoting from the book “Seogyeong”, Jeong Dojeon said Gangnyeong is one of the five fortunes, which is the third to take all remnants. He gave the name to this hall to remind the king to have an upright heart and cultivate his virtues.

Gangnyeongjeon Hall was destroyed several times in history. It was first constructed in 1395, in the fourth year of King Taejo, and was destroyed during the Japanese invasion of Korea in 1592. It was rebuilt with Gyeongbokgung reconstruction in 1867 but was burnt down by a major fire in 1876. It was then restored in 1888, under the reign of King Gojong. However, the Japanese government dismantled the building and used it as materials to rebuild the living quarters in Changdeokgung Palace in 1918. Thus, the present Gangnyeonjeon Hall was built in 1995 according to its original appearance and design.

Speaking about the design of Gangnyeongjeon Hall, there are some interesting places we should not miss. One of the eye-catching features is the absence of a top white roof ridge called “Yongmaru”. There are a lot of versions to explain why the roof is without Yongmaru, but there are no official records to reveal the truth. People tend to believe that the absence was because Yongmaru contains the letter of the dragon, which symbolizes the king. As the king rested in the Gangnyeongjeon Hall, the dragon shouldn’t rest on top of the king when he was asleep. Also, not only the residence hall of the king, but the Gyotaejeon Hall, the queen’s quarters, doesn’t have the Yongmaru as well. Therefore, it is also said that this was to prevent the dragon from disturbing the rest of the king and queen.

Furthermore, Gangnyeongjeon Hall has four furnaces underneath the floor on the left side. To ensure the heating system worked efficiently, the hall was built above the ground and the rooms were designed smaller. Also, there was an underground pipe to release the smoke through the chimneys. Thus, people in the room could stay warm without breathing in the smoke. Although the current Gangnyeongjeon Hall was not the one in the Joseon Dynasty, it is delighted that most of the special features have been restored, which allows us to learn more about the past.