Junghwamun Gate is the main entrance to the main throne hall. The term “Junghwa” means “the righteous mind of not being biased”. Nowadays, it is easy to reach the main hall from any direction as the corridor surrounding the courtyard has been destroyed, but passing through the Junghwamun Gate was the only way to go to the main hall in the Joseon Dynasty.

Junghwamun Gate was built in 1902, along with the main hall. However, it was destroyed by a massive fire in 1904 and rebuilt with a single-tiered roof two years later, during the reign of Emperor Gojong.

Junghwamun Gate consists of three doors as entrances. The middle door was only used by the royal family, the left door by military officers, and the right door by civil officers. Looking up, the gate was built in a multi-cluster bracket structure with a hipped and gabled roof. If you look closely at the roof, you’ll notice seven ornaments on either side. They were only placed in the highest-class buildings in the palace. Thus, we can tell that Junghwamun Gate is one of the main buildings that represents the heart of Deoksugung Palace.

After passing through the gate, you can see a wide courtyard in front of Junghwajeon Hall, the main hall of Deoksugung Palace. Some ranking stones are placed there for the officials to stand next to during the morning assembly. The royal court of Junghwajeon Hall was the place that witnessed the rise and fall of the Korean Empire. It was the place where King Sunjong and Empress Sunjeonghyo held their wedding ceremony. However, a regency ceremony under the coercion of pro-Japanese collaborators was also held here in 1907.

The stairs connecting the royal courtyard and Junghwajeon Hall have three sections. The middle section has a stone slab called Dapdo, which is carved with two dragons symbolizing the empire. This is a unique characteristic of Deoksugung Palace, while other palaces have phoenixes carved on them.

As there are many hidden stories inside the palace, let’s move on to enter the main hall and explore more interesting stories!