Jungmyeongjeon Hall

About this place

Jungmyeongjeon is one of the most significant sites of the Korean Empire era. After the great fire at Gyeongun Palace (now Deoksugung) in 1904, Emperor Gojong moved here and used it as his private audience hall. In November 1905, the Eulsa Treaty (Japan-Korea Protectorate Treaty) was illegally concluded here against Korea's will. It was also from this hall that Gojong dispatched the Hague Secret Emissaries — including Yi Jun — on April 20, 1907, to inform the international community of the injustice of the treaty. The building was largely destroyed by fire in 1925, leaving only its outer walls, and was rebuilt to serve as a social club for foreigners. Later it was absorbed into state property, then returned to the Crown Prince Yeong and Lady Yi Bangja by President Park Chung-hee in 1963. In 1977 it was sold to private owners; in 2003 Jeongdong Theater purchased it, and management was transferred to the Cultural Heritage Administration in 2006. It was incorporated into Deoksugung as a historic site on February 7, 2007. After restoration in December 2009, it has been open to the public since August 2010 as the exhibition hall 'Deoksugung Jungmyeongjeon: Where the Fate of the Korean Empire Was Decided.' The building was originally part of the residences of Western missionaries in the Jeongdong area, and was incorporated into the palace grounds when Gyeongun Palace expanded in 1897. It was then named Suokeon and used primarily as a royal library. After being destroyed by fire in 1901, it was rebuilt into the current two-story brick structure, designed by Russian architect Seredin-Sabatin, who also designed Independence Gate and Jeonggwanheon Pavilion.