Korea Chronicles: Gwanghwamun Square

first posted on August 1, 2014

Right after a sumptuous Korean lunch, we walked the calories away to Gwanghwamun Square. It's really easy to spot. It's right across the main entrance of Gyeongbok Palace. Gwanghwamun is located in Sejong-ro, Jongno-gu in Seoul and is near Insadong, Cheonggyecheon and Samcheongdong. A whole day is not enough to walk around in this area; there are just so many places to see.

Statues of Admiral Yi Sun-Shin (not in the photos) and Sejong the Great  are situated at Gwanghwamun Square. These two are influential people in Korean history. King Sejong invented Hangeul, Korea's national language while Admiral Yi Sun-Shin led Koreans in the fight against the Japanese invasion in 1592.

One of the most fun part in Gwanghwamun Square (for us) is this booth that allows tourists to try out wearing Hanbok (Korean traditional costume); not the ordinary type of Hanbok though but the kind worn by royalties. The red one is worn by a queen while the green one is worn by a princess. For the guys, gold is for an emperor while red is for a king.There was a queue when we got to the booth but we didn't mind waiting because it was absolutely free. We just had to register, leave an ID and wait for our turn. Each person was allowed ten minutes to wear the Hanbok and take photos. 

On the other hand, the black ribbon against a yellow background signifies the hopes and sympathies of many Koreans after the Sewol tragedy. You may read about this campaign, here. I would see more of these ribbons in many places in Korea. A lobby in one of the malls in Bundang was reserved to display photos, letters, and other clippings of families and individuals mourning for the many lives suddenly taken away by the tragedy. The sight of it was truly heartbreaking.

By the way, according to a latest announcement in visitkorea.or.kr the beatification of 124 Korean martyrs this year will take place in Gwanghwamun Square and it will be graced by no less than Pope Francis himself. Another historic event in the making.