A Time Travel on Jeongdong-gil: A Stroll to Jungmyeongjeon(중명전), Facing the Pain of History

Layers of Time Found at the End of Deoksugung(덕수궁) Stonewall Road

Walking along Jeongdong-gil(정동길) is always exciting. Is it because of the unique atmosphere created by the sunlight filtering through the leaves and the red brick buildings? As you walk slowly along the Deoksugung(덕수궁) Stonewall Road, a quiet space hidden slightly behind the familiar scenery appears. It is 'Jungmyeongjeon(중명전),' the site where the fate of the Korean Empire once swirled.

The silence you feel as soon as you step into the alley next to the Jeongdong Theater(정동극장) is quite different. In this place where even the sound of the wind is low, it began in 1897 as 'Suokheon(수옥헌),' the imperial library established during the expansion of Gyeongungung(경운궁) (present-day Deoksugung(덕수궁)). Facing the red brick building designed by the Russian architect Seredin-Sabatin(사바찐), one feels a strange intersection of the sturdy resilience that has withstood the ravages of time and a chilling aura. Although the current structure is a reconstruction following a fire in 1901, the exotic aesthetic it conveys perfectly reflects the historical background of the place known as Jeongdong(정동).

Emperor Gojong(고종황제)'s Office, Remembering the Weight of That Day

As you open the door to Jungmyeongjeon(중명전) and step inside, it feels as if you can feel the anguish of Emperor Gojong(고종황제), who moved his residence here after leaving Gyeongungung(경운궁) following the great fire of 1904. Walking slowly through the building, the tension of that day in 1905 when the Eulsa Treaty(을사늑약) was illegally signed weighs heavily on the heart. After the painful history of losing diplomatic sovereignty, the Emperor dispatched secret envoys to The Hague from this very place to inform the world of the injustice.

Looking slowly through the exhibition hall, one realizes that the building was not simply constructed of bricks and cement, but contains the traces of those who lived through a tragic era. After a fire in 1925, it was used as a social club, and it has spent a turbulent history changing owners according to the political regime. Now, it has been designated as a historic site and waits for us in its complete form. Looking back at the history of how it was briefly returned to Crown Prince Yeongchin(영친왕) and his wife during the era of President Park Chung-hee(박정희), I realize that the time a single building has endured has been truly long and winding.

An Afternoon on Jeongdong-gil(정동길), a Journey of Quiet Contemplation

After finishing my visit to Jungmyeongjeon(중명전), the calm air of Jeongdong-gil(정동길) welcomes me again. Jungmyeongjeon(중명전) is not a very flashy or large place. However, the narrative contained within that small space is grand and deep. The best time to visit is on a weekday morning when the crowds have subsided a bit, or around 3 PM when the sunlight warmly brushes against the building's exterior walls.

Remember this address: 41-11, Jeongdong-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul(서울 중구 정동길 41-11). I hope you make sure to visit when you take a stroll around Deoksugung(덕수궁). There are many attractions nearby, such as the Seoul Museum of Art(시립미술관) and the Jeongdong Theater(정동극장), so it is great to visit them together. While flashy exhibitions are nice, I think it is necessary to pause sometimes, feeling the wind blowing from these sites of history. Feeling the breath of the past seeping through the cracks of old bricks, I walked slowly through the afternoon of Jeongdong(정동).