My Trip to Seoul: Gyeongbokgung Palace in Winter

It was a weekday, so we easily parked in the underground parking lot of Gyeongbokgung Palace and got our tickets. (We entered by scanning the QR code.) I can't drive, so I relied on a Korean woman.

Gyeongbokgung Palace Parking Fee

• Compact car: 3,000 won for 1 hour / 800 won for each additional 10 minutes
• Mid-size and large cars: 5,000 won for 1 hour / 800 won for each additional 10 minutes

Operating Hours: 6:00 AM ~ 11:00 PM

※Closed every Tuesday, open year-round

I booked the hotel through Agoda.

Upon arrival, we also saw the latter half of the Gyeongbokgung Palace Royal Guard Changing Ceremony (Heungnyemun Square).

The Royal Guard Changing Ceremony is at 2 PM.We arrived just in time to see the ceremony :)

In the Joseon Dynasty, the Royal Guard was responsible for guarding the gates of the city walls (Heunginjimun Gate, Sungnyemun Gate, etc.) and the palaces where the king lived, including Gyeongbokgung Palace. We were able to watch the Royal Guard Changing Ceremony at Heungnyemun Square.

A long time ago (2012), I saw the Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace in the UK, and two years ago, I saw the Changing of the Guard ceremony at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taiwan. The ceremony in Taiwan was very impressive due to its precision.

This was my first time seeing the Korean Royal Guard Changing Ceremony, and the colorful flags were magnificent. The sound of the large drum and taepyeongso (a type of Korean wind instrument) was wonderful. And when "Arirang" played at the end, I felt a sense of deep emotion.

At Gyeongbokgung Palace, we saw many foreigners in Hanbok (traditional Korean clothing). It was surprising to see more foreigners than Koreans.

Gyeongbokgung Palace's Geunjeongjeon Hall

Gyeongbokgung Palace's Hyangwonjeong Garden

Gyeongbokgung Palace on February 19th was actually so cold that I felt like I was going to freeze to death.

The wind was so cold. ㅠㅠ

And what was disappointing was the feeling of newly built structures. Of course, restoring cultural properties is difficult, but I wanted to feel the traces of time, but there was a new feeling in some places, which was disappointing.

Gyeongbokgung Palace would be beautiful in the warm spring with flowers in bloom.

But the winter atmosphere is also charming, and it was so cold that I think I'll remember it.

After touring Gyeongbokgung Palace, we headed to our accommodation.

We decided on accommodation in Yeonnam-dong, near Hongik University Station (Agoda had the best prices).

After checking into our accommodation, we went to Lee Chun Market Yeonnam branch for a drink because we felt like having a drink. It's a chain store run by Chef Baek Jong-won, so we thought it would be good value and delicious, but the taste was slightly less than expected.

We ordered stir-fried pork and a Chinese honey combo, but the pork sauce wasn't spicy and felt a little bland. (I was expecting a mala flavor, which was disappointing.)

The Chinese honey combo was too sweet.

I like sweet things, so it was fine for me.

The sweet honey sauce went well with the sweet potato chips that came with the chicken.

And the 300cc draft beer for 1,900 won was satisfying.