The Seoulite is expanding his online offerings… now all kpop fans can unite… and date each other! Tired of so-gae-ting? Want to find someone new? Need to just waste some time online by flirting with fellow kpop fans? Well, well, well… go to my new website: www.kpopsingles.com.
Everything is free. You can chat, send messages, do video conferencing and even browse through the kpop zone. We’re just getting started so if anyone wants to volunteer to update the kpop pages with more recent stars, let me know. I only put up my favorites from back in the day…!
Gyeongbokgung also known as Gyeongbok Palace is a palace located in northern Seoul, South Korea. It was the main and largest palace of the Joseon Dynasty and one of the Five Grand Palaces built by the Joseon Dynasty.
The palace was originally constructed in 1394 by King Taejo and 'Gyeongbokgung' was named by minister Jeong Do-jeon.
Gyeongbokgung was continuously expanded during the reign of King Taejong and King Sejong the Great, but part of the palace was burnt down during the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592-1598).
During the regency of Daewon-gun in 1867, the buildings were reconstructed and formed a massive 330-building complex with 5,792 rooms.
Standing on 4,414,000 square feet (410,000 square meters) of land, it was a symbol of majesty for the Korean people and the home of the royal family.
In 1895, after the assassination of Empress Myeongseong by Japanese agents, her husband, Emperor Gojong left the palace and the imperial family would never return.
In 1911, the government of Japan demolished all but 10 buildings during the period of Japanese occupation, constructing the Japanese General Government Building for the Governor-General of Korea in front of the throne hall.
At the end of the Second World War, major buildings on the site included Geunjeongjeon, the Imperial throne room (national treasure number 223), and Gyeonghoeru Pavilion (national treasure number 224), which stands in an artificial lotus lake, resting on 48 granite pillars.
The pavilion is depicted on the 10,000 won Korean banknotes.
Today the palace is open to the public, and houses the National Folk Museum of Korea. The National Museum of Korea was there too, until it was relocated to Yongsan-gu in 2005. Currently there is an exhibition of cars. Yes, it's a Cadillac.
Study! Study! Study! To excel in the imperial era you had to write excellent poetry. No engineering or math for the royal Koreans!
Archaeological work has brought 330 building foundations to light. The main gate to the palace, called Gwanghwamun, is now being restored to its original state, to be completed in 2009.
I am making excuses to share the numerous photos I took by making captions with information off of Wikipedia... and now I've run out. There is a magical beauty here.
When Korea was annexed by Japan in 1910, most of the 200 building on the palace grounds were torn down by the Japanese, leaving only a dozen structures.
The map near the front entrance shows the arrangement of the complex during the latter part of the reign of King Kojong. It shows the major hails, pavilions, offices, storerooms, gates and bridges of the 419,100 square meter grounds.
The back garden of the palace used to contain the main part of the Governor-General's residence during the Japanese era. With the establishment of the Republic of Korea in 1948, President Syngman Rhee used it as his office and residence.
In 1993, after President Kim Young-sam's civilian administration was launched, the Japanese governor-general's residence in the Cheong Wa Dae compound was dismantled to remove a major symbol of the Japanese colonial occupation.
These guards give those British ones in front of Buckingham Palace a run for their money. They look like mannequins... but some will talk and take pictures with you.
On January 30, 1637, Korea was subjugated by the Manchu people, who later established the Ching dynasty in China. The Korean kingdom of Joseon suffered from a seven-year invasion by Japan in the late 16th century. Before Korea fully recovered from the severe wounds of war, factional strife revived as the nation encountered threats by the Manchus, who forced Korea to adopt an anti-Ming, pro-Manchu policy.
King In-jo, the sixteenth monarch of the Joseon kingdom, abandoned his predecessor’s pro-Manchu policy, favoring the declining Ming dynasty of China. In 1627, Manchu troops penetrated as far south as Hwanghae Province, forcing the Joseon court to seek peace by accepting the role of younger brother to Ching. When Korea refused to acknowledge the sovereignty of Ching, the Manchus launched their second invasion in 1636. King In-jo and his subjects spent 47 days in isolation inside the Nam-han Fortress, southeast of Seoul, surrounded by the enemy.
This is Seojangdae, where King Injo stayed for 45 days during the Manchu siege of 1636.
The situation deteriorated for Joseon, and the king finally opened the fortress gate and surrendered to Ching on January 30, 1637. It is considered one of the most humiliating defeats by foreign invaders in Korean history. Although the Manchu war was a short one, it left deep scars in Korea. Farms were destroyed and tens of thousands of people were taken to Manchuria as captives. A tremendous amount of gold, silver, grain and other products were sent to the Ching court as tribute.
Mao Zedong swimming in the Yangtze at age 72.
Many historians criticize King In-jo for not being aware of the changes taking place in China and eventually driving his country to disaster. They say the Chinese invasion could have been avoided if the king had been aware of the decline of the Ming Dynasty and subsequent rise of the Ching.
Hi, I’m Sean Lim, an American expat living in South Korea. This is my blog about becoming a Seoulite.
What is a Seoulite?
A ‘Seoulite’ (서울깍쟁이) is a citizen of Seoul, just as a ‘New Yorker’ is a citizen of New York. Of course the label ‘Seoulite’ doesn’t simply denote a place of residence [...]
