Seokjojeon Hall

Seokjojeon is the neoclassical stone building that stands out immediately inside Deoksugung — Greek-style columns and a triangular pediment, a world away from the palace's traditional wooden halls. It was built between 1900 and 1910 at Emperor Gojong's order, meant to show Western powers that the Korean Empire (1897-1910) was a modern, independent state, not merely a satellite of its neighbors.

After Korea's monarchy ended, the building had a rough second life: used as an art museum under Japanese colonial rule, later as a meeting site for the US-USSR Joint Commission after liberation in 1946. Its interior has since been restored to look as it did in the imperial era, with reproduction furniture and royal artifacts on display.

Local tip: it's included in the regular Deoksugung admission ticket, and free English-guided tours of the interior run several times a week — check the schedule board near the entrance, since walk-in access without the tour is limited.