Gyeongbokgung Pond Pavilion 'Hyangwonjeong' Restores Its Original Appearance After 3 Years

Internal Opening in Special Exhibition Format Starting April Next Year

The hexagonal two-story pavilion Hyangwonjeong (香遠亭), located on the pond Hyangwonji (香遠池) in Gyeongbokgung Palace, has been restored to its original appearance after three years. Starting from April next year, the interior will be open to the public in a special viewing format.

The Cultural Heritage Administration's Office of Palaces and Royal Tombs unveiled the restored Hyangwonjeong and Chwihyanggyo (醉香橋) bridge on the 5th. Chwihyanggyo is the bridge connecting Geoncheonggung and Hyangwonjeong. Originally located north of Hyangwonjeong, it was destroyed during the Korean War and rebuilt to the south. With this restoration, it has returned to its original location, and its form has changed from a flat bridge with stone pillars topped by wooden planks to an arched wooden bridge. The color is white, as shown in old photographs.

Hyangwonjeong had overall structural tilting, and the wooden joints and foundation were loose, so repairs began in November 2018. It was completely dismantled and reassembled, and the stone embankment around the island was also refurbished. A representative from the Office of Palaces and Royal Tombs explained, "The ground was reinforced through traditional pile foundation construction, and based on analysis of old photographs, we restored the jar-shaped decorative roof tiles (jeolbyeongtong), windows, patterned paper (neunghwaji), and external railings." They added, "We plan to further investigate the pigments used in the dancheong (traditional multicolored paintwork)."

The exact date of construction for the two buildings is unknown. The name "Hyangwonjeong" appears in the Seungjeongwon Ilgi (Diary of the Royal Secretariat) in the 24th year of King Gojong's reign (1887), indicating it was built before 1887. The recent dendrochronological analysis of the timber confirmed that the wood was felled in two periods, 1881 and 1884. Based on this, the estimated construction date is 1885.

During the dismantling process, the investigation team discovered a donut-shaped ondol (traditional Korean underfloor heating system). Generally, ondol channels (gorae) are installed in furrow or fan shapes beneath the floor. Hyangwonjeong had the gorae arranged along the edges, so heating was centered from the outside inward. A representative from the Office of Palaces and Royal Tombs stated, "Using the building's traces, we restored a low chimney connected to the outside of Hyangwonji, and when the fire was lit in the furnace, we confirmed that the smoke naturally escaped around the pond."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.