KOREA ON CUE · ISSUE 06 · CHANGDEOKGUNG

Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung and Jongmyo

East of Gyeongbokgung are Changdeokgung and Changgyeonggung, once known together as the Eastern Palace, and Jongmyo, the royal shrine. Start by checking the entrance to Changdeokgung while its main gate is under repair.

Read the first story
An unpainted wooden hanok across a wide earthen yard, its far-left bay projecting on tall stone bases; no people. Editorial image.

Recommended reading order

  1. From Changdeokgung’s Side Gate to Injeongjeon01From Changdeokgung’s Side Gate to InjeongjeonWith Donhwamun under repair, enter Changdeokgung through Geumhomun and follow the bent path to Injeongjeon.SEOUL · 6 min read
  2. Nakseonjae, the Unpainted House at Changdeokgung02Nakseonjae, the Unpainted House at ChangdeokgungAt the end of Changdeokgung’s palace route stands Nakseonjae, an unpainted house built in 1847.SEOUL · 7 min read
  3. Buyongji Pond in Changdeokgung’s Secret Garden03Buyongji Pond in Changdeokgung’s Secret GardenEntry to Changdeokgung’s Huwon is by timed session.SEOUL · 8 min read
  4. Chundangji Pond and the Grand Greenhouse at Dusk04Chundangji Pond and the Grand Greenhouse at DuskChanggyeonggung stays open until 9 p.m. But in September and October, at 6 p.m.SEOUL · 6 min read
  5. Jongmyo’s Jeongjeon: nineteen bays that won’t fit in one frame — Noah joins the 2 p.m. English tour on a weekday and keeps stepping back across the stone platform — a hall that grew from seven bays to nineteen05Jongmyo’s Jeongjeon: nineteen bays that won’t fit in one frameThe last part of “Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung and Jongmyo.” On Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays you can’t wander into Jongmyo on your own: you go in at a set time and walk it with a guide for about 50 minutes. Noah walks over from Jongno 3-ga Station for the 2 p.m. English tour. He follows the stone path past Jaegung to the great platform in front of Jeongjeon, and the nineteen-bay hall won’t fit in his frame. The Royal Palaces and Tombs Center’s timeline shows why: it started with seven bays and was extended sideways three times. At Yeongnyeongjeon, only the middle four bays have a higher roof. In a five-year restoration that ended in 2025, the cement mortar in front of Jeongjeon was removed and handmade stones were laid. Jongmyo is closed on Tuesdays.SEOUL · 8 min read
  6. Jongmyo’s Yeongnyeongjeon, the second shrine in the trees — On a Saturday morning with no guide, Rina walks past the long courtyard of Hyangdaecheong and the stone mortars of Jeonsacheong to Yeongnyeongjeon, where only the middle four bays carry a higher roof06Jongmyo’s Yeongnyeongjeon, the second shrine in the treesA new piece for “Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung and Jongmyo.” Yeongnyeongjeon is a separate shrine built in 1421 to the northwest of Jeongjeon, and only its middle four bays have a raised roof. The Royal Palaces and Tombs Center’s opening-hours page (checked 1 October 2026) lists Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays and Wednesdays as open-entry days. Rina once followed a guide, saw Jeongjeon and left; this time she walks the official route on her own, all the way to the second shrine in the trees.SEOUL · 9 min read
  7. Changgyeonggung from Honghwamun to Myeongjeongjeon: an East-facing Gate and a Single Roof — Maya walks over from Hyehwa Station, goes in through Honghwamun in the morning light, crosses Okcheongyo and passes under Myeongjeongmun to stand before Myeongjeongjeon, then comes back to the same axis late in the afternoon07Changgyeonggung from Honghwamun to Myeongjeongjeon: an East-facing Gate and a Single RoofAn added piece in “Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung and Jongmyo.” The Royal Palaces and Tombs Center notes that, unlike the other palaces, which face south, Changgyeonggung has its main gate and throne hall facing east, and it describes Myeongjeongjeon as the oldest throne hall in the palaces today. Maya, who saw a double roof at Gyeongbokgung, goes in through the east-facing gate in the morning and walks to a throne hall with a single roof. Changgyeonggung is closed on Mondays.SEOUL · 9 min read

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