The first place we visited during the Seoul City Tour was the Gyeongbokgung Palace. The palace is located in the northern part of Seoul. It was first constructed in the 14th century and reconstructed in the 19th century, and it was once the residence of the royal family. The palace complex was nearly destroyed by the Japanese in the early 20th century; the buildings are slowly being restored and as of 2009 nearly 40 percent of the original palace buildings still stood or had been reconstructed.

During my visit to the palace, we first saw the changing of the guard ceremony at the Gwanghwamun, the main entrance to the palace. After entering the palace, we spent time touring around and visited many buildings that made up the palace. Our tour guide provided us with some explanations of the functions of the various buildings inside the palace.

The building in the photo below is the Gyeonghoeru Pavilion. It is the Royal Banquet Hall that with a pond and landscaping around looked quite nice especially in the autumn.