Daejojeon

Daejojeon is a major hall in the palace Changdeokgung in Seoul, South Korea. It was used as the main living quarters for the king and office of the queen. It is now a designated Treasure of South Korea.

History

It was possibly originally named Yanguijeon in 1461, but began to go by "Daejojeon" shortly afterwards. King Seongjong died here in 1495. After being destroyed in 1592 during the Imjin War, it was rebuilt in 1608 and destroyed in 1623 during the Injo coup. It was rebuilt in 1647, using materials from the building Kyŏngsujŏn from the palace. It burned down on the 17th day, 10th month of 1833 and was repaired by the 9th month of 1834. It has an attached hall, Heungbokheon. That hall was where the final cabinet meeting was held before Korea's 1910 annexation. This is where the 1917 fire began; the fire completely destroyed Daejojeon and its annex buildings. Gyeongbokgung's building was recycled to reconstruct Daejojeon and its annexes Heungbokheon and Yunggyeongheon. It was completed by 1920. The final Korean monarch Emperor Sunjong died here in 1926. Near the hall is a small palace kitchen that was constructed during Sunjong's reign. It has modern Western facilities, like a sink and oven.