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The top image shows Gyeongbokgung Palace during the Korean Empire era. At that time, Gyeongbokgung was vast and its grandeur rivaled that of Beijing’s Forbidden City. The middle image shows Gyeongbokgung during the Japanese occupation. Most of the buildings were demolished, and the humiliating Governor-General’s Mansion was built in its place. The bottom image shows modern Gyeongbokgung, where the Japanese-built Governor-General’s Mansion has been demolished, and some historical buildings have been reconstructed. However, we can see that there are large areas of empty space within the walls of Gyeongbokgung, resembling a large construction site on satellite maps. This is often used by Chinese people to mock Korea. On the other hand, the government has been continuously reconstructing the historical buildings within Gyeongbokgung in recent years. However, there are two problems. One is that the National Palace Museum and the National Folk Museum have already been built within Gyeongbokgung; complete reconstruction would require their demolition. The other is that many of the historical buildings in Gyeongbokgung have lost their original purpose; is reconstruction even necessary? submitted by /u/Adventurous-Plan-871 |
Is there any hope that Gyeongbokgung Palace can be restored to its appearance during the Korean Empire period?
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