Seoul Good – Korea Day 2: Changdeokgung Palace, Ginseng Chicken & Cheonggyecheon

Day 02: Changdeokgung Palace, Ginseng Chicken & Cheonggyecheon River

Changdeokgung Palace
Built in 1405, Changdeokgung Palace was the principal palace for the Joseon kings. It has been designated as UNESCO’s World Cultural Heritage in Feb 1997 and its vast premises consisted of a main hall where the King meets with his court officials, the residences of the royal family and a Secret Garden.

Unlike some countries where Royalty is revered and preserved, Korea seems to be nonchalant about the last descendants of the monarchy – the House of Yi. Ever since the annexation of the Korean Peninsula by Japan in 1910, and the mediatization of some Yi Clan members into the Japanese Royal Family, the descendants of the Royal Family are not officially recognized with conferred titles.

Hence, strolling within the current Palace in its lost glory and splendour stirred a strange sense of melancholy.

Upon entering one of the main gates – the Donhwamun Gate, you can choose between a paid tour, free & easy self-guide tour with an audio guide or a Secret Garden Tour. The tour hours are dependent on the languages (Korean, English, Japanese , Chinese and Sign) so it is better to check for details here.

The general tour will take about 80 mins with an estimate of 2.1 km walk. I took the Secret Garden tour which took me a solid 2 hours and 3.1 km, as I like to take my time to admire the Autumn colours and the chilling breeze that permeates through the trees.

Cel’s tips: Cater enough time to experience the gardens and not join the tour with less than 2 hours to closing time, else you will rush through the entire grounds and herded out like sheep towards the exit ;p

Alright then, let my humble tour begin:

The audio guide is pretty neat as there are sensors all around the premises, it works according to your pace because it will only broadcast the relevant section when it detects your audio set at each checkpoint (shown above) automatically.

I started my audio guide tour at the main hall – the Injeongjeon, where the court officials will have to stand in assembly before being summoned into the grand hall to meet with the King. They have to stand behind a customized stone tablet according their Official Ranks.

You will need to channel your most vivid imagination and/or Korean drama references to picture the solemnity and grandeur of the ancient era. Trust me, it’s more fun this way 🙂

The King greets his subjects on his throne, where I would imagine the actual scene to be more majestic than what I see. The empty room with a large chair looks rather non-threatening but it would have been regal when filled with the King’s presence and sounds of officials debating the perils of war and benefits of new laws with countless court maidens and servants in waiting.

Away from the Main Hall, I ventured into the inner courtyard to the residences of the King and Queen. The houses of the Prince and Princesses are quite a distance away with their own gardens and servants quarters. It’s interesting to see how far away the royal offsprings have decided to build their own abode. Guess it’s the same for all families regardless of era and nationality eh? ;p

The construction of these buildings has integrated a clever heating system to keep the Royal Family warm and snug during the long wintery months. The rooms are constructed on an elevated platform and an in-built compartment underneath allows for hot coal to be pushed in from the outside without disturbing the occupants.

The floor of the rooms will be heated and since ancient Koreans sleep on floor mattresses, this system is highly effective.

The Queen’s residence is called the Daejojeon and the back gardens are linked to the Huwon Secret Garden. The Buyongji Pond looked very serene in its midst and specific species of trees were planted for the purpose of providing a cooler environment during Summer.

It is said that if you pass through this Bullomun Gate at the side of the Aeryeonji Pond, you will gain eternal youth 🙂 🙂 🙂

This stone gate, Bullomun (불로문), literally mean “Gate of Everlasting Youth”, was built to represent prayers for the king’s continued good health.

The picturesque Aeryeonji Pond:

The garden where the princesses studied and played:

Now onto the Imperial Kitchen 🙂 where the King gets his elaborate royal feast 5 meals a day. The Korean Royal Court Cuisine (Joseon Wangjo Gungjung yori) during the Joseon Dynasty comprises of at least 12 dishes in additional to rice and soup, served in bronzeware. All dishes must be prepared in vibrant colours (much like their cultural costumes) and served neatly displayed.

Here’s what the old Imperial Kitchen looked like now, all locked up and deserted now. I can imagine how it used to be bustling with activity as there were hundreds of kitchen help in the royal cookhouse. It’s a tightly run operation on its own, with official positions created within 6 Ministries, from procurement of ingredients to consumption, and even food for rites.

The final part of the tour was very scenic as I made my way through the windy Secret Garden pathway, framed with many trees in their Autumn glory, all the way towards the exit gate.

Looking over the high Palace walls, I spotted an interesting fusion of modern and traditional architecture constructed side by side.

You will enjoy this article on the re-enactment of the olden days at the Palace.

Subway Station: Anguk Station (Line 3, Exit 3) or Jongno 3-ga Station (Line 1, 3 or 5. Exit 6)

Admission to the Palace grounds: Free (not including access to the Secret Garden)
Admission fees for regular tours: 5,000 won (per adult), 2,500 won per child (ages 7-18)
Admission fees for Secret Garden tours: 3,000 won (per adult), 1,500 won per child (ages 7-18)
Operating hours: 9am to 6pm (Feb-May, Sep-Oct), till 5.30pm (Nov-Jan) and till 6.30pm (Jun-Aug). Ticket offices will close an hour before closing time.
Closed on Mondays.
Official website link.

Changdeokgung Palace is the second largest royal villa in Seoul (out of five in total), you may prefer the largest and grandest palace instead – Gyeongbokgung. Its huge grounds were severely destroyed during the Imjinwaeran War and later restored. You may do the usual touristy photo-taking dressed in the tradition Korean Hanbook costumes here. I chose Changdeokgung simply because I enjoy less crowds and more serenity 🙂

Gyeongbokgung Palace:

Subway Station: Gyeongbokgung Palace Station (Line 3, Exit 5) or Gwanghwamun Station (Line 5, Exit 2)
Admission fees: 3,000 won (per adult), 1,500 won per child (ages 7-18)
You may also visit all 4 palaces + Jongmyo Shrine for an integrated price of 10,000 won (use within 1 month). Different palaces and Shrine are closed on either Mondays or Tuesdays so plan your schedule well.
Operating hours: 9am to 5pm (Jan-Feb, Nov-Dec), till 6pm (Mar-May, Sep-Oct) and till 6.30pm (Jun-Aug)
Closed on Tuesdays.
Official website link.

After a 2-hour walk, there’s no better time to complete the cultural experience than a bowl of traditional Samgyetang (Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup), stuffed with glutinous rice, ginseng, gingko nuts and more than 30 types of herbs. Many tourist guide books and travel shows recommended this shop – Toksokchon Restaurant, which resulted the daily long queues -_-

Toksokchon Restaurant

Address: 85-1 Chebu-dong, Jongro-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Tel: 02-737-7444

Subway Station: Gyeongbokgung Station (Line 3, Exit 2) and walk about 120m towards Hyoja-dong, turn at the convenience store.

The queue was way too long for my rumbling tummy when I was there, and I opted for another shop which was pretty good. Chicken soup is always comforting on a cold day 🙂

Time for some shopping I mean walking 🙂 to work off the full tummy at the COEX mall.

COEX Mall is said to be the largest underground mall in Asia so it is worth a venture. It houses over 85,000 sqm of shops and restaurants as well as a cinema multi-complex with 16 screens and an aquarium. You can find books, music, videos, clothes, food, games and beauty products all under one roof.

To top it off, the Mall is co-located within the International Trade Centre where you can visit one of the many exhibitions or conventions while you are there. Read more about the Coex Mall here.

Take the subway to Samseong Station (Line 2, Exit 5 or 6 is directly connected to the Mall) or Cheongdam Station (Exit 2 and walk approx. 15 mins)

Do pop by the small Kimchi Museum to learn a little something about the most globally recognized Korean dish, from making kimchi to tasting kimchi. It is located at Basement 2, COEX Mall.

Entrance fees:

3,000 won (per adult), 2,000 (per student), 1,000 won (child ≥ 48 months old) and free admission for senior citizens ≥ 65 years old, persons with disabilities and children below 48 months.

Opening Hours: Open from 10am till 6pm (Tues – Sun), last admission at 5.30pm. Closed on Mondays and Public Holidays.

The Cheonggyecheon Stream

The historical Cheonggyecheong Stream, which runs 11km through the city center to join the Han River, is now a popular spot for an evening stroll for lovers due to the romantic display of lights that dances throughout the length of the stream, culminating with a waterfall/fountain structure at the very end.

This same stream was once a polluted waterway with a concrete overpass built over it, it was restored in 2005 in a 2-year revitalization project that cost 380 billion Korean Won to demolish the old structure that covered the stream and de-pollute the waters.

Now the venue is enjoyed by locals and tourist alike, and is particularly pretty at night. There are little stone steps installed for people to cross over to the other side of the stream, as well as seats under the bridge for a little R&R. Please excuse the quality of my pictures as it was Winter (-23C) when I took these shots and my gloveless hands were trembling with cold ;p

Several ways to get there: Alight at City Hall Station (Line1 & 2, Exit 4 and walk 250m north towards Cheongye Plaza) or Alight at Gwanghwamun Station (Line 5, Exit 5 and walk 100m south).

It is open 24 hours daily, all year round and doesn’t cost a cent to visit 🙂

It has been a long day out, my suggestion is to head back to Myeongdong for a satisfying Korean BBQ dinner and a good night’s rest.

There are so many BBQ restaurants in Seoul for you to pick and choose from, and in Myeongdong, I have heard of several recommendations. One of them is Wanbijib.

However, I have my little favourite restaurant just at the corner (end of the street) near Sejong Hotel. Lots of local students in their uniforms filled the restaurant – a clear sign that it’s popular and affordable 🙂

From the Myeongdong Station, take Exit 9 or 10 and walk towards the back lane into Myeongdong (refer to the dotted line in red). There are 2 restaurants for you to choose from.

This is the recommended way of eating kimchi with BBQ meat wrapped in either vegetables or flour skin.

Cel’s tips: My fav way is to dip the BBQ meat with a bit of the sesame oil mixed with salt & pepper sauce!

Jin Shabu Shabu

After dinner, enjoy the brisk stroll back to the hotel, admiring Namsan Tower from afar.
For Day 3, you’ll be going to Insa-dong, Lotte World and Namsan Tower.

More posts on What to see, do & eat in Seoul:

Day 01 – Myeongdong & Dongdaemun

Day 03 – Insadong, Namsan Tower & Itaewon

Day 04 – Lotte World & Namdaemun

Visiting the DMZ

Skiing in Korea

Eating in Seoul