#deoksugung

[art42]

@jm_pov

[hoonie98world]

DEOKSUGUNG SEOKJ0JEON HALL (PART 1)

덕수궁 석조전 (제 1부)

After 15 months of gradual but constant commitment, I finally completed this project!

Central Hall (중앙홀)

The main hall is a two-story structure space. It is the first space to enter when viewing. 

VIP Waiting Room (귀빈 대기실)

This is the right-side hall. It's the room visitors move into after touring the central hall. This room, where guests waited to be announced to the emperor, has the same interior design as the central hall, except it lacks decorative pillars. The left door is a fake designed to strictly adhere to the English neoclassical interior style characterized by strict symmetry and opens to reveal only a blank wall.

Visitors typically waited for the emperor's audience while enjoying biscuits, snacks, champagne, and so on, served by the royal household.

The waiting room has a console table, a regular table, a round table, four chairs, an armchair, and a display cabinet. Among these, the armchair and display cabinet are original pieces, while the rest are replicas recreated based on a catalogue commissioned from Maple Furniture Company at the time of construction.

Reception Room (접견실)

This is a room located above the central hall, and it is the largest room on the first floor. It is where the emperor held audiences.

Audiences involved the emperor being approached, bowing three times in greeting, and then departing backwards, which was quite bewildering and challenging for foreign envoys.

The most expensive item in the reception room was imported European wall mirrors. The Palace of Versailles in France had a Hall of Mirrors at its centre, as mirrors were incredibly expensive and extravagant luxury items of the time. Decorating the palace, the centre of both the court and France, with mirrors was a sophisticated political manoeuvre to diminish the pride of foreign envoys and secure France's diplomatic dominance by showcasing a grand gallery of mirrors. Mirrors were costly because only skilled artisans from Venice could produce them, and there are stories of considerable efforts made by France to acquire this technology. The mirrors in the Seokjojeon Hall reception room were imported directly from Europe, cut into decorative shapes, and transported very carefully over an extended period.

The ceiling in this space is lower compared to others, likely due to its settling during the Korean War.

The Small Dining Room (소식당)

The Small Dining Room is located to the left of the reception room. While it appears to have been a gathering place for the royal family for meals, it was actually a room where a few select guests had simple meals. Compared to the main dining hall, the dining table here is smaller, accommodating up to about 5 people at most. In one corner of the room, there is a cabinet for storing spoons, knives, and forks. The ivory tableware displayed there was reportedly acquired through an auction in England during the restoration period.

This room is unique among the others in its interior finish, featuring panelling made of English oak with a lacquered appearance.

The Grand Dining Room (대식당)

The Grand Dining Room is a dazzling space that captures the attention of visitors with its crystal chandelier, luxurious tablecloths, and tableware. Located to the left of the central hall, it was a space where Western-style banquets were served to participants after formal events. The room is adorned with a long dining table and multiple chairs.

[absurdlakefront]

An evening visit to Deoksugung Palace in Seoul.

[loenadiary]

📍 Deoksugung Palace 덕수궁

[photoglobo]

Seoul: The Deoksugung Palace

Midst in the city of Seoul is the Deoksugung Palace. I was lucky to be there early morning with almost no other tourists. Under the cold blue sky lies this gem with its beautifully restored buildings surrounded from the big city. This palace was in use until the begin of 20th century and some building shows a mix of western and traditional architectures. Also were some rooms fitted with…

[nhdiary]

[travelella]

Deoksugung Palace, Seoul, South Korea.

[kyndaris]

Into the Breach

On 25 June 1950, after the creation of two separate governments in Korea following the end of World War II, North Korea (also known as the Democratic Republic of Korea) launched an attack on its neighbour in order to subsume it. After fighting the South Koreans (Republic of Korea) down to Busan, the South Korean army rallied with the help of the United States. Their counteroffensive nearly pushed North Korean troops into China. With the aid of weapons and artillery bequeathed by the Soviets, China entered the Korean War. Following intense fighting, the front was stablised close to the 38th parallel with the final two years of the war becoming a war of attrition. An armistice was later signed in 1953.

The signing of the armistice paused hostilities on the Korean peninsula and created the Korean Demilitarised Zone, or DMZ (pronounced Dee-Em-Zed) for short.

On our second proper day in Seoul, bleachpanda and I joined a Seoul City Bus tour (paid through Klook) to scope it out. Having prebooked the tour, we were contacted the day before by one of the organisers to arrange a hotel pick-up. By 9:30 AM, bleachpanda and I were in the hotel lobby, waiting for the bus to come pick us up. Except, instead of a bus, a nondescript black van showed up.

Into it we climbed until we arrived at another hotel before piling into the coach that pulled up, and which would take us to the DMZ.

Our first stop, after driving about an hour from Seoul, was the Peace Park. During the drive, our tour guide Yeoni, explained the history of Seoul - from the Joseon Dynasty to the modern reiteration we now know today. At Peace Park, Yeoni pointed out several important monuments including a bunker, a comfort women statue, the Iron Horse train engine, the Peace Bell and the infamous 'Cow Bridge'. Cow bridge is so named because a defector, and founder of Hyundai Groups, Chung Ju-yung sent over 1001 'unification' cows over the border as a gift.

After Peace Park, we headed back onto the coach and was taken to Dora Observatory. As we went through a security checkpoint, our passports were checked. My picture, of course, is horrendous as I didn't wear any make-up and the post office didn't retake my photo despite my fringe blocking a part of my face. After we had gone through the checkpoint, Yeoni told us of how visitors could take a train to visit the DMZ prior to COVID-19. This was run twice a day during the weekends with the train stopping at Dorasan station.

Once at Dora Observatory, Yeoni provided us some additional information about the relationship between North and South Korea. And as we peered through the binoculars, she was quick to point out key areas of interest. Bleachpanda and I even caught glimpses of a North Korean guard standing outside their outpost!

From Dora Observatory, we then headed to the 3rd tunnel. During the drive, Yeoni told us that there were about 1,000 defectors from North Korea annually. Often, defectors would flee first into China and find alternate means to enter South Korea. Once in South Korea, they would be assessed to see if they're spies sent from the north. If legitimate defectors, they are given free housing for a few years as well as a mentor to help them adjust to life outside of the communist state.

What was most telling to me was how these two nations, despite their differences, stilled hoped for unification and to once again be one people. Time will tell if it will come to pass but their stories of families being split apart reminded me of several other countries that endured such trauma including Partition and the ongoing challenges between China and Taiwan.

As for the 3rd tunnel, though reviews made it sound as if it was a claustrophobic spelunking crawl, it honestly felt like exploring a low-ceiling granite cave with sufficient space for two people to walk abreast. It certainly wasn't as impressive as investigating the twisting labyrinthine tunnels of Cappadocia last year.

The 3rd tunnel was simply a very long tunnel with a sharp incline at its entrance. Once in the tunnel proper, it was flat although there were patches of water here and there. While taller people might accidentally hit their hard hats on the ceiling, I was short enough to get through unscathed. At the end of the tunnel was a metal barricade and a monitor with four video feeds showing what lay beyond.

Bleachpanda, fearing the 3rd tunnel experience after reading reviews of it online, did not descend. Which, honestly, might have been a good idea as she would have needed copious breaks on the way out given how steep the incline was.

From the tunnel, our last stop on the DMZ tour was the Unification Village. It was here that bleachpanda treated me to a lemon tea. Something I desperately needed after the slog of a climb back up to the surface and running out of my pre-boiled water.

So ended our visit to the DMZ, with the Seoul City Bus dropping us all at City Hall. As bleachpanda and I wandered back to our hotel, we stopped to visit the now open Deoksugung Palace. What made it stand out to the two of us was its very modern western-style garden and fountain, known as the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art.

Pictures are as below:

And while the visit to the DMZ was an eye-opening experience (my grandparents on my father's side actually met during the conflict although neither were on the frontlines), I couldn't help but feel I had missed an opportunity to chat with a few fellow Australians on the trip.

Still, I want to end his blog post by thanking Seoul City Tour, and Yeoni in particular, for taking us around the DMZ and safely getting us back to Seoul in one piece! You may have thought I was bleachpanda and the start but you certainly warmed to Kyndaris as the day went by. Even acknowledged us when we nearly missed the coach at the Peace Park because I had to search for a bin in order to throw the remains of my soy fried chicken away because the bus driver wouldn't let bleachpanda and I bring it along.

[thedalatribune]

© Paolo Dala

Before The Great White Throne

Morgan Wilson had his four-foot (4-ft) putt lined up perfectly. He was about to tap the ball in the hole when he suddenly clutched his chest and collapsed onto the green.

The panicked voices of his buddies faded away as he felt himself traveling through a dark tunnel and then all at once he was in a mode of existence unlike anything he'd experienced on Earth. Unknown to him, he was in Hades, the abode of the wicked, as they await the day of judgment.

There were many other souls around him. More continue to flock in. Their bodies were like his own, wispy and insubstantial, but with all sense intact. At one end of the room, guarding a massive door stood a man-like figure who was so bright that Morgan could hardly look at him.

One by one, waiting souls were called to the door. When Morgan's turn came, he passed through the door and what he saw took his breath away. His eyes strained to take in the other worldly beauty and majesty.

Directly before him towered a Great White Throne. He looked into the face of the one sitting on it and he was undone. The face radiated pure love and infinite sorrow. In that instant, Morgan realized that this face, this being had somehow always been the reality behind every longing that he had ever had. The Man's hands were scarred as if they had been impaled by some sharp instrument. With a stab of fear, Morgan realized that he was in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Panic welled up in him as he reflected on his Earthly Life which had not always been what it ought to have been. In a rich, pure voice, Christ called Morgan by name. Morgan was drawn forward like a magnet. For the first he noticed, there were some books stacked on a table beside the throne.

Jesus Christ picked up the first one and Morgan got a glimpse of its title: 'The Book of the Law'. Christ opened the book and placed it on his lap.

"Morgan Wilson", he said, "what do you have to say regarding your life on Earth?"

In spite of his trembling, Morgan found his voice:

"Well, I tried my best to obey your laws and when I think of other people I know, I think I did better than most."

"Very well since you expect to be saved by your good works, let's consider what that requires."

Looking at the book, Christ reviewed aloud each point of the law and then looked at Morgan,

"Have you done all of these things?"

"Well, not perfectly, of course, but I think the good outweighs the bad."

"Well I'm afraid that's not good enough", Christ said. "If you base your salvation on the law, you must keep all the law, obeying every single point without fail."

"But if that's the case, who can be be saved", Morgan said. "The Bible says all have sinned and have fallen short."

"You were exactly right", said the Lord Jesus. "That's why I died for you. I never sinned. I took the penalty for your sin in order to free you from it."

He closed 'The Book of the Law' and picked up the next volume: 'Morgan Wilson's Book of Works'.

As he opened it, Morgan's fear began to ease. I mean, he had done many good works and he felt sure the Lord would really be impressed!

"[It] says here that you gave $1,000.00 to your church's New Building Fund."

"That's right", Morgan said, "and I set an example by being the first one to do it."

[Morgan continued:]

"I also do many other good things! I was a deacon in my church. I occasionally taught Sunday School. I never missed a church service, even on on Wednesday and I seldom fell asleep during the sermons."

[Jesus replied:]

"Yes, all these things are recorded here, but it is also recorded that you made sure all of these things were visible to other people. You did it for them."

Suddenly, Morgan felt exposed. He could muster no response. Christ closed the book and reached for the next one, 'Morgan Wilson's Book of Secrets'.

"You got a lot of entries in this book, Morgan", Christ said. "Let's look at some of the things you did in secret."

[Christ continued:]

"It says here that many of your customers paid you in cash and you reported none of those payments to the IRS. You also reported business losses you did not incur and inflated the amount of your charitable gifts. You cheated on your income tax and according to this records, you did it every single year... Says here you visited the internet porn sites late at night. And to top it off, these records indicate that you had a long, running affair with a woman in your church. None of these deeds were ever found out and since they never damaged your reputation, you never repented of them. The bottomline is that you did your good works in public and your evil ones in secret. You should have done the opposite. You should have done your good works in secret so that your reward would have been my riches instead of the praise of people and you should have aired your evil deeds in confession and repentance."

Morgan looked down in shame as Christ closed 'Morgan Wilson's Book of Secrets' and reached for the next one, 'Morgan Wilson's Book of Words'.

"I see two categories of words in this book", He said, "those reflected the attitude of your heart and those that hid the attitude of your heart..."

You hardly ever read your 'Bible'. Yet, you quoted from a list of Scriptures you memorized to impress other church members. You spoke to your church's youth group about keeping their speech clean, while you knew in your heart that your own jokes with your golfing buddies were not even fit for the gutter."

Christ shook his head and He closed the book.

"I see that you have one more book to open", Morgan said, "is there any chance it might somehow override all that's been written in the other books?"

Jesus picked up the heavy volume..."This is 'The Book of Life'. The name of every person ever born has been entered into this book. Tragically, however, many of the names no longer appear. They have been blotted out."

"Please", Morgan said, "please open that book and see if by some chance my name is still there!"

Jesus turned slowly through the pages, scanning each one, and finally, He closed the volume and looked at Morgan... "I'm sorry to say you that your name is not here. You do not belong to me and I must banish you forever from my presence."

[Morgan replied:]

"But what about grace?! Can't you give me grace?!"

[Jesus:]

"Morgan, my grace was always available to you. All you ever had to do was place your trust in me and make me the Lord of your life. Had you done that, my grace would freely cover all of your sins and all of your failures, but you never did that. You never surrendered to me and allowed your heart. Therefore, you never knew me and now, I do not know you."

The angel led Morgan to another door, this one dark and ominous. On the far side of the great hall, there he was thrust into darkness. The door slammed behind him echoing in the empty blackness. Morgan couldn't see anything, no sun, no moon, no stars. Not a single ray of light. He groped about with his and tried to find footing for his feet, but there was nothing. Though he had now weight, he had the sensation of falling through the darkness... He heard nothing but the own sound of his weeping. He was isolated from all humanity and he would be so for all eternity.

Eons passed and the forgotten soul of Morgan Wilson still plunged downward into the vast black void. He had decayed into something less than human, becoming nothing than a perpetual hunger... For all of eternity he would writhe in despair. His torment never-ceasing. He would never be reclaimed. He would never again have hope.

NO ONE WHO STANDS BEFORE THE WHITE THRONE JUDGEMENT WILL COME OUT INNOCENT. ALL WILL BE JUDGED GUILTY BECAUSE THEY REFUSED TO RECEIVE THE OPPORTUNITY OF SALVATION THROUGH JESUS CHRIST.

The account of The Great White Throne Judgment in 'Revelation 20' in my estimation is the most sobering passage in all of the Bible. It tells of The Final Judgment of the inhabitants of planet Earth, the last sentence of the passage is chilling, 'Revelation 20:15'...

"ANYONE NOT FOUND WRITTEN IN 'THE BOOK OF LIFE' IS CAST INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE."

David Jeremiah The Judge

[theinfinitedivides]

when you do too much research for sh*t so you recognize one of the date locations in HS4 even though you've never been:

[blueprint-9376]

12.07.2024 [😚]

⏳️: 석조전 해설 투어 가기/ The day I visited Deoksugung Palace

[hoonie98world]

WIP SEOKJOJEON BUILDING PROGRESS

To date, I have finished constructing the Central Hall (중앙홀) and the Audience Hall (접견실). It is not 100% accurate due to some limitations and a lack of mods containing the details of the actual building, but I have to use some creative liberty to overcome the shortcomings.

[absurdlakefront]

Old and new.

[inhwa-kim]

August 8, 2024.

from Deoksugung to Gwanghwamun

[loenadiary]

📍 Deoksugung Palace - 덕수궁

[communist-ojou-sama]

18?

18. A memorable meal

The first thing that comes to kind are these chilled noodles I had in a little restaurant next to Deoksugung park on my last full day in Seoul, easily the spiciest thing I've eaten this year and maybe my life. It was delicious but it was provoking my tear glands even as a lover of spicy food; the owner of the restaurant warned me beforehand and kept refilling my water out of pity :p 10/10 would eat again