Deoksugung Palace

Yesterday morning I visited the red brick offices of the Korea Herald, one of South Korea’s two main English language newspapers. (I note the red brick because much of Seoul is built in grey concrete.) The Korea Herald is just around the corner from the British Embassy, which I visited last Saturday for a garden party. Another blogger, Robert Koehler of The Marmot’s Hole was also there, and took these photographs of the ambassador’s residence and the Anglican cathedral.

Coming out of the Korea Herald I heard traditional music coming from Deoksugung, a little palace next to City Hall subway station on line 1. I headed towards it just in time to see the changing of the guard. (It was a little incongruous seeing men in Joseon period costume parading in front of a Dunkin Donuts store.) I thought it was a much better display than the changing of the guard ceremony at Gyeongbokgung, simply because some of the guards were wearing canary yellow robes. It was such a cheerful colour on a sunny June morning that it brought a tear to my eye.

After watching the guards for a while I paid 1000 won to look inside the palace. It is a lot smaller than Jongmyo shrine and Changgyeongung palace (see here) but worth a visit if you are in the area. As I looked at the little palace buildings, basically wood and paper boxes set in a garden, I was struck by what an outdoor people the Koreans were. I suppose they still are, they use the streets for recreation a great deal.

A Visit to the British Embassy in Seoul

This afternoon I went to a garden party at the British embassy in Seoul. The embassy is not a tourist attraction as far as I know, so your only chance of going there is if you attend a function or are on official business. It really is worth a visit if you get the opportunity. It is located near the Anglican cathedral and exit 3 of City Hall subway station (line 1).

As soon as I got through the gates I noted the distinctively British architecture. The ambassador’s residence was built in the late 19th century and wouldn’t be out of place by the river Thames in Kingston.

I was briefly introduced to the British ambassador, a friendly man, who gave a speech in support of the society that arranged the party. After his speech we were treated to traditional Korean dancers like the ones in this picture. I often see dancers like that practicing in public spaces. They move in circles, beating drums and swirling ribbons around on their heads.

There were several diplomats there but the only other one I was introduced to was the Irish ambassador. He is one of those lovely people who can make strangers feel like friends.

After the party I tried to get into the Anglican cathedral just down the street but the doors were locked. Unlike European churches, which are usually just one big room, Korean churches seem to have offices and meeting rooms on the ground floor and first floor. I must admit I’ve only managed to get into one church, a catholic one, so I could be wrong. I had to go up three floors to find the actual area of worship. The Anglican cathedral looked as if it was worth visiting. It is built in a traditional European style, so I wonder what it is like inside.

On my way back to the subway station I saw that there was some kind of gathering on the grass outside City Hall. The last time I was there, over a year ago, they were rehearsing a concert for the world cup. I saw some Korean tv presenters going through their lines. Today there were children in traditional dancers costumes like the ones I saw at the embassy, and adult women in white hanbok. The women put on a haunting performance that looked (at a guess) if it might have something to do with funerals. A middle aged woman stood at the front reading Korean from a white cloth covered in letters in a declamatory voice. The younger women behind her sat on the stage making a ghostly “oooooo” noise.