Gyeongbokgung Sajeong Hall

Basic information

Designation

Treasure No.1759

Category

Architecture

Era

조선시대

Designated year

2012

Location

종로구, 서울특별시— 서울특별시 종로구 사직로 161 (세종로, 경복궁)

Coordinates

37.578939, 126.977000

Gyeongbokgung Palace was built according to the traditional architectural principles for the construction of royal palaces in ancient times. It is in the central court, that’s to say, the Ruler’s Court, that the throne hall, Geunjeongjeon, is located along with other important government halls such as the Sajeongjeon, Manchunjeon, and Cheonchujeon. Of these, the Sajeongjeon, standing behind the throne hall with Sajeongmun Gate between them, and flanked by Manchunjeon in the east and Cheonchujeon in the west, was used as the king’s office and residence during normal times. Sajeongjeon Hall was one of the three office buildings used by Joseon’s rulers in ordinary times. Experts believe that while the Joseon kings favored Sajeongjeon more, they preferred using Manchunjeon or Cheonchujeon during the winter season because, unlike Sajeongjeon, these two buildings had an effective traditional heating system. The main entrance to the building is flanked by galleries containing storerooms named according to the order of appearance of the characters in Qianziwen (The Thousand Character Classic), from Cheonjago to Woljago. Sajeongjeon was first built at the same time as Gyeongbokgung Palace in 1395, and was rebuilt after it burnt down in 1553. The second building was also burned to the ground when the entire palace was destroyed by fire during the seven-year war that broke out with the Japanese invasion of Korea in 1592. The current building was built in 1867 when the palace underwent major renovation work to restore its main buildings including Geunjeongjeon Hall, Gyeonghoeru Pavilion, and Sujeongjeon Hall. The name of Sajeongjeon on the name plaque was written by Jo Seok-u, the Minister of Personnel at the time the palace was renovated. Sajeongjeon Hall was one of the two most important buildings in Gyeongbokgung Palace, the other being the throne hall, or Geunjeongjeon, as this was where many Joseon rulers spent most of their time working and relaxing. Preserved in its original structure since 1867, the hall is regarded as a valuable source of knowledge about the architectural style and layout of palace buildings of the Joseon Dynasty.

Location