Unhyeongung

The word “Gung” of Unhyeon-gung has a meaning of a palace. But Unhyeongung is a quite small and humble palace in comparison to the palaces in Seoul like Gyeongbokgung Palace, Deoksugung Palace or Changdeokgung Palace. Unhyeongung, despite its name as gung, is not actually a place for kings and queens.

It used to be the house for Gojong, who is twenty-sixth  King of Joseon Dynasty, until he became king at the age of twelve. After that, the house was given the name Unhyeongung and the king’s parents lived in the house. The father of King Gojong is Heungseon Daewongun and he acted as Regent for 10 years until his son was old enough to take over. And he had a lot of political clout during that period. That’s why the place is meaningful in modern Korean history.

It is near many tourist attractions such as Bukchon Hanok Village, Insa-dong and Ikseon-dong. It is also close to the subway stations, Anguk Station and Jongno 3-ga Station, so it is a great spot for travelers. I often visit Unhyeongung when I have an appointment around there. There is no entrance fee and not so crowded. I love looking at this peaceful place.

There are many programs and events held in Unhyeongung. A visitor can participate in a program, having a reservation in advance. I’d like to recommend two programs, Gavaedang (Making coffee experience) and Tea ceremony. In Gavaedang, you will make and taste coffee in the same way as coffee first came to Korea in the late 1800s. In Tea ceremony, you will conduct the Korean tea ceremony and enjoy the traditional tea. Both programs cost 5,000 won per person.

Traditional clothing experience is provided, too. You can try on traditional Korean costumes, Hanbok, and walk around the palace. Costume rental fee is 3,300 won for 20 minutes.

It feels like a short time, but it is enough to take photos walking around Unhyeongung. You don’t need to reserve and picking up for it at a rental shop.

You would see some building looked familiar behind Unhyeongung if you are a big fan of Korean drama, ‘Guardian: The Lonely and Great God.-Goblin’. The western-style building, where Kim Shin (Gong Yoo) was living in, is a shooting location of the drama. This French-style Renaissance architecture is called the ‘Western House of Unhyeongung’. We are not able to enter it due to the building belongs to the Duksung Women’s University. I tried a few times following a lucky blogger who visited the building, but the only thing I saw was a notice saying “No Entry” with the doors closed.

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Some part of area is closed for repair work until January 2021.

Webpage : http://www.unhyeongung.or.kr/eng/?lang=en
Address : 464 Samildaero Jongno-gu Seoul 110-350
Telephone : +82) (0)2 766 9090
Operating Hours :
April-October 09:00-19:00 (entrance available until 18:30)
November-March 09:00-18:00 (entrance available until 17:30)
※ Closed every Monday, except holiday Mondays
Admission Fee : Free of charge
Transportation
Subway : Anguk Station (Line 3) Exit 4 / Jongno 3-ga Station (Line 1,3,5) Exit 5
Bus : Jongno 01 / Jongno 02 / 109 / 151 / 162 / 171 / 172 / 272