Good to see that Prince Charles turned out so support the premiere of the new documentary on the Gwanghwamun: http://bit.ly/fq8fI1 #. The DVD gets a release in March. [Read More]
Tag: Gwanghwamun
Chuseok floods in Gwanghwamun
Best wishes for Chuseok everyone #. Above, flash floods in Gwanghwamun on 21 September, when 10cm of rain was falling in an hour in downtown Seoul. [Read More]
Welcome back, Gwanghwamun
Welcome back to Gwanghwamun: unveiled 15 August, liberation day http://bit.ly/9KoMjZ # also in JoongAng Daily [Read More]
2010 Travel Diary #30: Daewonsa – early morning prayers and sutra painting
Friday 7 May. I wake up at 3 o’clock. My body seems to be ready for early morning prayers even though I hadn’t signed up for them. I wanted to hear those moktaks and chants again, so I crawl into my clothes and stumble out to the main temple courtyard to wait for the prayers … [Read More]
2010 Travel Diary #6: the Secret Garden remains a secret, and Gwanghwamun is hidden
Saturday 1 May 2010. I am fated never to see the Secret Garden. On the previous two occasions when I have tried, it has been closed. Until recently, I think it has only been possible to visit the Changdeokgung as part of a guided tour, but it is now possible to go in unguided and … [Read More]
2010 Travel Diary #3: Moon Vases and Kim Gun Mo
Friday 30 April 2010. As usual, my arrival through Incheon Airport is swift and stress-free. Morgan, my interpreter, is there to meet me, my rental phone is ready for pickup at the SK Telecom desk, plus this time I have the added luxury of a driver (though the hotel limo-bus I usually take is also … [Read More]
Gwanghwamun unveiled
I’m amazed that the Gwanghwamun plaza was ready on time. It was a building site when I passed by only two weeks ago. http://bit.ly/RPuac # Read an in-depth article over on Popular Gusts. [Read More]
Gateways to Korea
Peter Corbishley digests some recent Korean history lectures at SOAS and the KCC, and a recent book by Alexis Dudden My introduction to the nasty side of Korean history over March and April of this year began with a heartwarming UK personal interest story from 1908. At the Korean Cultural Centre 10th March, Patrick Cockburn … [Read More]
The Gwanghwamun and its many rebirths
When General Yi Song-gye founded the Joseon dynasty and moved Korea’s capital to Seoul, he needed a palace of suitable magnificence. The Gyeongbokgung (경복궁) was carefully sited by the royal geomancers to benefit from the perfect Pung Su (풍수), and at its southernmost point, in direct alignment with the main throne room, the Gwanghwamun (광화문 … [Read More]