This is Injeongjeon, where coronations, receptions of foreign envoys and other important ceremonies were held, as seen during the Moonlight Tour at Changdeokgung Palace. 

By Lee Jihae
Photos = Visit Korean Heritage Campaign

A Korea.net staff writer on Sept. 21 at 7:05 p.m. passed through the main Donhwamun Gate of Changdeokgung Palace in Seoul's Jongno-gu District, seeing the palace after darkness descended.

Built in 1405 as a secondary palace to Gyeongbokgung Palace where the king stayed when he left Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung was the residence of Joseon Dynasty monarchs for 258 years from 1610, when the palace was reconstructed by the 15th Joseon King Gwanghaegun, through 1868, when the 26th King Gojong rebuilt Gyeongbokgung.

Among Joseon palaces, Changdeokgung was where kings lived and worked the longest and earned UNESCO World Heritage status in 1997.

Beginning on Sept. 7, the tour is an exploration of one of Seoul's four royal palaces at night. Visitors can enter daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. except Mondays from September to October. 

The tour is held twice a year up to six times per day with a daily limit of 150 visitors. The start times are 19:00, 19:05, 19:10, 19:50, 19:55 and 20:00, with each course about 100 minutes long.

Korea.net on Sept. 21 looked around the 10 main venues of the palace compound including the halls Injeongjeon and Huijeongdang.

The first stop was Injeongjeon, where the king conducted official state affairs during the Joseon era. Visitors can look inside the throne hall during regular visits, but night is when the king's illuminated seat and a painting of the sun, moon and five peaks stand out.

Next was Huijeongdang, the king's unofficial office, followed by Nakseonjae, the study of the 24th Joseon King Heonjong, and the hexagonal Sangnyangjeong Pavilion. 

The pavilion is off-limits to visitors during regular hours. 

"Sangnyangjeong Pavilion is usually off-limits because of the many steep stairs leading to it, but you can go there if on the Moonlight Tour at Changdeokgung Palace," tour guide Lee Jong-chun said. "The pavilion is at the highest point of the Changdeokgung compound, so it's the best place to see the moon."

A musician on Sept. 21 performs a solo on the daegeum (bamboo flute) at Sangnyangjeong Pavilion during the Moonlight Tour at Changdeokgung Palace.

Next, the visitors headed to Secret Garden, or the "king's garden," which requires a separate reservation on the day tour. Upon reaching the garden's royal Buyongji Pond, they saw a reenactment of a Joseon king taking a walk with his queen.

"Buyongji Pond is the highlight of the Moonlight Tour," Lee said. "You can't see the water in summer because the pond is filled with lotus leaves, but you can see in fall the beautiful reflection of Juhamnu Pavilion (a two-story structure in the back garden) on the pond because the lotus leaves have been cleared."

The Moonlight Tour at Changdeokgung Palace includes a reenactment of a Joseon Dynasty king and queen taking a stroll around Buyongji Pond at Secret Garden.

Visitors looked around Bullomun Gate, which was built to wish for the king's long and healthy life, and Aeryeonjeong Pavilion, built by the 19th Joseon King Sukjong before heading to the final stop of Yeongyeongdang, a residential complex where Crown Prince Hyomyeong performed ceremonies for his father, Joseon's 23rd King Sunjo.

Tea and yakgwa (deep fried honey cookies) were later served while visitors watched performances for 20 minutes of the traditional dances bakjeommu (butterfly) and bosangmu (treasure table).

"Unlike last year, we're showing bosangmu this year," the guide added. "It has comedic elements such as throwing a ball and painting black ink on the face to add to visitor enjoyment."

Traditional performing arts on the Moonlight Tour at Changdeokgung Palace are held at the residential complex of Yeongyeongdang. Shown are dancers on Sept. 21 doing the bosangmu (treasure table dance).

Tour participant Kim Ha-jeong said, "Taking photos with the king and queen at Buyongji Pond was very impressive."

Another on the tour, Kim Young-in, said, "Enjoying music in the same place as Joseon Dynasty kings was a very new experience."

In the 14th annual edition of the tour ending on Oct. 22, those with English-, Chinese- and Japanese -speaking guides are available from Oct. 19-22.

Unlike the lottery system of ticket reservations for Koreans, foreign visitors can buy theirs online with a limit of two per person on Ticket Link (www.ticketlink.co.kr). No purchases are available on-site or by phone. 

One ticket costs KRW 30,000.

jihlee08@korea.kr