ABSTRACT
Place attachment to and the meaning of the Gyeongbokgung and Changgyeonggung Palaces in Seoul, Korea, have changed across generations. These sacred sites in Korean history were systematically defiled during Japanese colonization (1910–1945). In an act of desecration, the Japanese destroyed more than 90% of Gyeongbokgung, the symbol of Imperial Korea’s sovereignty, and built colonial headquarters at the forefront of the palace grounds. The Japanese colonial rulers converted Changgyeonggung, another royal palace, into a zoo and botanical garden. Such acts engendered Koreans’ deep-seated hatred of Japanese culture. The social memory of the palaces’ significance in Korean culture endured, and the Korean government removed the zoo and botanical garden from Changgyeonggung Palace in 1983. In 1989, the government started a 40-year initiative – later extended to a 55-year master plan – to rebuild and restore hundreds of destroyed structures at Gyeongbokgung Palace and demolished the Japanese General Government building in 1996.
The place meaning of these palaces not only differs across generations but has also changed over time within generations. For many Koreans, the place meaning is twofold. Changgyeonggung Palace was a “place for play” for the children who grew up going to the zoo and botanical garden. Yet, as these children became adults, the royal palaces became monuments to past atrocities and colonial occupation. For the grandchildren’s generation, the palaces are most meaningful as sites of the cultural heritage of historic Korea. This chapter chronicles the different place meanings of Gyeongbokgung Palace and Changgyeonggung Palace and demonstrates a strong place attachment despite the changes in meaning across the generations.
