A Study on the Change of Gojong(高宗)’s Architectural View and the Aspect of the Constructions of Architectures Working: Through the Change of the Architectures in the Royal Palace

Abstract

Gojong(高宗) had experienced extravagant change during a period of reign and he was located in the center of thechange. He was the king who also experienced various changes in construction and accomplished a large number of constructionactivities aggressively. Gojong could acquire the information and details about anarchitecture, through the experience of a lot oflarge-scale construction activities in a regency period of Heungseon-Daewongun(興宣大院君). After opening of a port, as thewestern culture and technology was flowed in Korea, the knowledge of western architecture also was introduced. Gwanmungak(觀文閣) was constructed in Kyeongbokgung Palace under that influence in 1888, but the construction was not successfully finished.Due to the failure of Gwanmungak, Gojong no more constructed a western architecture until 1897. He was aware of the merits ofwestern architectures while living in the western architecture during Agwanpacheon(俄館播遷). And he led a lot of constructionsof the western architectures in Kyeongungung(慶運宮). It is possible to arrange in two reasons about the interest in an architectureof Gojong. Firstly, Gojong was individually interested in the architectures, and he constantly accomplished constructions of newbuildings from childhood. And secondly, Gojong thought that western architecture has an advantage in the international situations.He held out the tendencies to construct the western architectures with excessive investments.