Seoul City to launch Korean royal trail
By Kim Se-jeong
A historic walking tour program will open to highlight the Korean Empire (1897-1910), which the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) named itself for higher international status, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG), Wednesday.
The SMG said it would open the 2.6km Korean Empire Trail on roads around Jeong-dong, the neighborhood surrounding Deoksu Palace.
Deoksu Palace was the main office and residence for King Gojong, who proclaimed the Korean Empire on Oct. 12, 1897. The palace was surrounded by the American, Russian and British diplomatic missions, two western schools and the country’s first women’s medical clinic, among others. Almost 20 major historic sites related to the short-lived "empire" and modern culture at that time, remain in the vicinity.
“This is an important step to revisit Gojong’s legacy,” Mayor Park Won-soon said during a ceremony to begin the project. “Also, the trail provides the opportunity to go back to one of the most turbulent times in Korean history and understand who we are.”
The trail will be divided into five routes. The first course will start in front of the Seoul Cathedral Anglican Church of Korea. A public square and underground museum will also open there. The second course will include former Deoksu Palace premises including the former Russian legation where the king lived in hiding for one year between 1896 and 1897.
The third will cover Ewha Girls’ High School, the first Western-style girls school, and Chungdong First Methodist Church. The fourth reaches Daehan Gate of Deoksu Palace. Gwangmu Observatory will be set up on the top floor of a city building in the Seosomun annex, from which the palace can be viewed.
The last route covers Hwangudan altar where King Gojong performed a ritual as part of the empire proclamation ceremony. The altar is hidden because of its location between big hotels, but the city opened a crosswalk on Wednesday, connecting it with Seoul Plaza.
Every October, the city will hold various events around these courses with performances and exhibitions.
“Many Koreans view King Gojong as a failed leader who gave his country to the Japanese,” a city official said. “Yet, some dispute the assessment, claiming that he was the first leader to give his people power and that he made every diplomatic effort to keep the empire independent from Japan.”