Photo = Yonhap News
Seoul | June 21, 2021

This photo taken on June 21 shows the remains of Uijeongbu under excavation on Sejongno Road in central Seoul.  After completing seven years of research and excavations on the site, the Seoul Metropolitan Government will open the site to the public from June 21-23 from 10 a.m. to noon through three daily tours by reservation only.

Uijeongbu was the highest administrative body of the Joseon Dynasty from 1400 to 1907, serving as the office of high-ranking officials like the prime minister and the first and second vice premiers. The building was burned down during the 1592 Japanese invasion of Korea but got rebuilt along with Gyeongbokgung Palace in 1865 under a restoration project pushed for by Heungseon Daewongun, the regent of Joseon who had assumed power the year before.

During Japan's colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula from 1910-45, most of the building was destroyed again. Still, many government offices were located at this historical site until the 1990s.

In 1997, the city designated the site a public park. In 2013, Uijeongbu's remains were discovered and excavation work began three years later.