Tuesday, October 23, 2012

A Show of Legitimacy

When walking through the section of the Gyeongbukgung Palace known as Taewonjeon, I was a bit surprised to read about the purpose of these residential-looking buildings. In order to communicate his legitimacy to the throne (King Gojong wasn't born a prince to the preceding king), he had Taewonjeon built to house portraits of the kings that went before him, particularly King Taejo who was the founder of the Joseon Dynasty. The section was also used at one time to house the coffins of deceased queens. During the Occupation, all these buildings were removed by the Japanese, but were restored in 2006.



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