photo: panoramio / Yun wonchin

Geoncheonggung Residence

Gyeongbokgung Palace
Seoul, Korea

Built in 1873, the ill-fated private residence of King Gojong (#25 on the palace map) was the site of Empress Myeongseong's assassination by Japanese agents in 1895. The building was demolished by the Japanese in 1909, and reconstructed in 2007.

Unlike the more elaborate and official palace buildings and residences, Geoncheong-gung, as the private residence of the king, was built in the plain style of a scholar-official, with natural materials and an unpretentious aesthetic.