Celebration Honors 600th Anniversary of Changdeok Palace

The “secret” garden of Changdeok Palace, famous for its beautiful scenery, will be open to the public every Sunday during November. No limits will be imposed on the number of visitors. Not only that, the inside of Juhamnu, used as a library near the Buyongji, a rectangular pond, will be open to public for the first time in 33 years.

The Cultural Properties Administration said on Wednesday that it made the decision to let the public enjoy the autumn foliage of the garden in order to commemorate the palace’s 600th anniversary, which falls on November 26.

Presently, for the protection of the garden, only 150 visitors a day are allowed to enter with a guide for a limited period of time. In November, however, there will be no limit to the number of people, but visitors will still not be allowed to enter without guides.

From November 15 to 30, Juhamnu will be open to 90 visitors a day. Juhamnu is a two-story building near Buyongji. The scenery of the autumn foliage here is considered the best attraction inside Changdeok Palace.

In addition, the public will have a chance to enter Daejojeon Hall and the Heejeongdang Hall, where wall paintings by modern painters, such as Kim Kyu-jin (1868-1933) and Kim Eun-ho (1892-1979), will be open to 90 visitors a day. Visitors will have a chance to view masterpieces, such as Baekhakdo by Kim Eun-ho.

The Cultural Properties Administration is also planning to hold several events, including royal music concerts and dance performances (at 1:00 p.m. every Sunday in November in front of Injeongjeon), a photo exhibition (from November 20 to December 20 at Injeongjeon), an academic conference to commemorate the 600th anniversary of the Changdeok Palace (at 1:00 p.m. on November 21 at Juhamnu), and a royal carriage parade (at 1:00 p.m. on November 26 from Gyeongbok Palace to Changdeok Palace). For more information, call 02-762-9513.

Kwawg-Pyo Lee kplee@donga.com