Government office of Joseon to be registered as a cultural asset

The site of Uijeongbu, a government office of the Joseon dynasty located in front of Gwanghwamun Gate in Seoul will be registered as a cultural asset. The site is the only place with remains of the past among major government offices that used to stand along the old Yookjo Street that stretched from Gwanghwamun Square to Sejongno. The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on Monday that the Uijeongbu site, an 11,300 m² lot near 45, Jong-ro 1-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, will be registered as a state-designated cultural property.

Uijeongbu had served as the top administrative body of the Joseon dynasty from 1400 to 1907, in which the premier, the first vice-premier, the second vice-premier, etc. advised the king and managed state affairs. The office was damaged from fire during the Japanese invasions of Korea, but later reconstructed with Gyeongbokgung Palace in 1865 after Heungseon Daewongun seized power.

Since then, most of the office had been damaged during the Japanese colonial period and the country’s industrialization. The Uijeongbu site used to have several government offices until the 1990s. The Seoul Metropolitan Government has been using it as a park named Gwanghwamun Open Square for Citizens since 1997. The metropolitan government first discovered the relics of Uijeongbu in 2013 and begun exploration in 2016.


Hyo-Lim Son aryssong@donga.com