Geonchunmun Gate

Geonchunmun is the gate that opens and closes spring. Yet this gate has long been closed. Why was Joseon's east gate always locked?

In front of Geonchunmun stands an old ginkgo tree. It is said to have been in this spot since the Joseon era. A young crown prince playing with companions, Japanese ronin hiding to assassinate Empress Myeongseong, King Gojong slipping out through this gate. The ginkgo tree would have seen them all.

Geonchunmun is the east gate of Gyeongbokgung, meaning 'the gate where spring begins.' It was the gate through which the crown prince, royal family, and royal in-laws passed. In February 1896, the last king of Joseon, King Gojong, escaped Gyeongbokgung through this gate. It was five months after his wife Empress Myeongseong had been assassinated. He never returned to Gyeongbokgung. The moment he left through this gate, the king of Joseon was no longer master of Gyeongbokgung.

Standing in front of Geonchunmun today, you can see the blue dragon painted on the gatehouse ceiling, guarding the east. The east gate symbolizes spring, but Joseon's spring had long not come from beyond that gate.

Still farther inside, the west gate of Gyeongbokgung, Yeongchumun, appears.