A much smaller and (in relative terms) newer palace than Gyeongbokgung, Unhyungung is worth seeing because you’ll pretty much have it to yourself, especially on a rainy day. Here are the parade grounds just inside the entrance. My boss had never been to it, and it reminded me of growing up in DC. There are probably a hundred great “tourist” things I’ve never done there (the White House comes to mind) that most people would think me crazy for missing. The fact that this palace is a small one makes for a really intimate, quiet spot near the bustle of Insadong.
Here are the king’s quarters:
The Chinese script is easy to notice. Even into the 19th century in Korea, an educated person would have been expected to be fluent in it. Royal decrees and proclamations were mostly written in Chinese as well, or at the very least Chinese characters, rather than layman’s hangul.
It was a little jarring to see the high-rises when I turned around (these are the women’s quarters), if only because the place still felt so peaceful.
My friends and I were pretty drenched and “palaced out” and the end of our day, but we were happy we took the time to track down Unhyungung. For the equivalent of .70 USD, we could take our time and wander about for as long as we wanted.
