Former Joseon Savings Bank Staff Housing Transformed into Cultural Space

Next Month at the Office of Royal Tombs and Cultural Heritage: Exhibition on 'Hoewhanamu, Deoksugung...'

The former Chosun Savings Bank staff residence, built after the Japanese colonial government damaged the site of Seonwonjeon, has been transformed into a cultural space and will be open to the public throughout August.

On the 30th, the Cultural Heritage Administration's Royal Palaces and Tombs Division announced that from the 1st to the 31st of next month, an exhibition titled "Pagoda Tree, Deoksugung..." will be held at the former Chosun Savings Bank executive residence within the Seonwonjeon area of Deoksugung Palace.

The theme centers on the pagoda tree that has stood for centuries within the Seonwonjeon area. Photographer Lee Myeong-ho, who serves as a public ambassador for the Royal Palaces and Tombs Division, will present works that reinterpret various aspects of the pagoda tree. Additionally, roof tile fragments excavated from the Seonwonjeon vicinity will be displayed. A representative from the division stated, "We temporarily opened this as a cultural space for citizens to use it as a place to convey the meaning and value of restoring Deoksugung Palace."

The Chosun Savings Bank staff residence was a building constructed during the Japanese colonial period in the Seonwonjeon area. Seonwonjeon was the place where royal portraits called Eojin (御眞) of past kings were enshrined. It was considered the most sacred space within the palace but was damaged by the Japanese. After all buildings in the area were demolished, the Chosun Savings Bank staff residence and Kyungsung First Public Girls' High School were built on the site. According to the restoration plan for the Seonwonjeon area, these buildings are scheduled to be demolished in the future.

The exhibition can be viewed free of charge from 9:00 a.m. to 5:40 p.m. However, it is closed every Monday.

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