Jeolla Provincial Government Office

About this place

The Jeolla Provincial Government Office (Jeolla Gam-yeong) was the local administrative headquarters overseeing the provinces of Jeolla and Jeju Island, equivalent to today's provincial governor's office. From the early Joseon period until 1896, it was the office where the gamsа (governor) who governed what is now Jeollabuk-do, Jeollanam-do, and Jeju Island for approximately 500 years worked. The Joseon-era Jeolla Gam-yeong had some 40 buildings including the main gate Pojeongmun, the governor's office hall Seonhwadang, the living quarters Yeonsindang, the inner quarters Naа for the governor's family, and the pavilion Gwanpunggak. When the administrative districts were reorganized in 1896, the Jeolla Gam-yeong became the administrative space of the Jeollabuk-do Provincial Office, but most of it was lost during modernization, and the last remaining building, Seonhwadang, burned down in an explosion accident in 1951. In 2015, the old provincial office building was demolished, and restoration work began in 2017 to restore Seonhwadang, Yeonsindang, Naа, and Gwanpunggak, with the first phase completed and opened in October 2020. It has become a cultural space for citizens and tourists, with various events such as the Jeonju Daesasup Nori (traditional vocal music competition) held here. Behind Yeonsindang stands a protected tree over 200 years old, the sole surviving trace of the original Jeolla Gam-yeong. At Seonhwadang, visitors can view the former appearance of the Jeolla Gam-yeong in digital video, and regular guided tours by cultural heritage interpreters take place three times daily centered on Seonhwadang and Gwanpunggak.