The nineteenth-century reconstruction of Gyeonghoeru Pavilion in Gyeongbokgung Palace, Korea

Abstract

The Gyeonghoeru Pavilion was built during the Joseon Dynasty. It is a historical representative of Joseon’s architecture, both internally and externally. It once served as a venue of entertainment for important people, and today, it is often used as the backdrop for modern entertainers’ music videos. Even after the entire Gyeongbokgung Palace was burned down during the Japanese Invasion of Joseon in 1592, it remained for 270 years as a symbol of Gyeongbokgung Palace. Finally, Gyeongbokgung took 1,000 days to rebuild, but more than half of the time was devoted to the reconstruction of Gyeonghoeru. It took so long is because the construction methods of the nineteenth century were implemented while preserving the construction methods of the early fourteenth century. After 150 the construction of Gyeonghoeru and the pond required complex civil engineering, gardening, masonry, and woodwork, as well as a tremendous amount of labor. Gyeonghoeru’s restoration was explicitly stated as serving architecture and cultural heritage above all else, and not just political or social factors.