Gyeonggyojang

The two-storey villa attached to the front of Kangbuk Samsung Hospital is Gyeonggyojang. After liberation, independence leader Kim Ku lived here from November 1945, using it as the last seat of the Korean Provisional Government, and on 26 June 1949 he was assassinated in his office upstairs. Restored as a branch of the Seoul Museum of History, it is open to the public free of charge.

History: from mining magnate's villa to government seat

Gyeonggyojang was built in 1938 as the villa of Choe Chang-hak, who had made a fortune in gold mining. Designed by architect Kim Se-yeon, it first carried the Japanese-style name Jukcheomjang. After liberation Choe offered the house to Kim Ku, who renamed it Gyeonggyojang after a nearby bridge. Cabinet meetings of the Provisional Government were held here, and it became the centre of the nationalist camp's campaigns against trusteeship and for reunification.

After Kim's death the house returned to Choe and changed hands many times, serving as the residence of the Republic of China's ambassador and as a US military facility during the Korean War. In 1967 the Samsung Foundation bought it, built the hospital's main block against its rear, and for decades it served as the hospital entrance. It was designated a national historic site in 2005, and after all hospital fittings were removed it reopened in March 2013.

What to see

• Restored rooms: the reception room and guest dining room downstairs and Kim Ku's office and bedroom upstairs, rebuilt using the original 1938 plans.
• Kim Ku's office: the very room where he was shot, with the small table by the window and the furniture laid out as it was.
• Exhibition rooms: on the history of the house, the Provisional Government, and Kim Ku and the government in exile, with artefacts, films and touch screens.
• Exterior: an example of an upmarket 1930s Seoul residence, its fusion with the hospital block telling the story of the building's ups and downs.

Good to know

• From this house Kim Ku led the campaign against trusteeship and the push for talks with the North. People at the time called it "Seodaemun Gyeonggyojang".
• Even when the house served as a hospital entrance, Kim Ku's office upstairs was kept as a memorial room.
• The house has two floors above ground and a basement, with about 945 m² of floor space. During restoration, original fabric was kept wherever it survived, and missing parts were rebuilt from plans of the house published in a 1938 magazine.

Nearby

• Gyeonghuigung Palace: about 270 m away, a natural next stop on foot.
• Seodaemun Prison History Hall: one or two subway stops away, continuing the story of the independence movement.
• Seoul Museum of Art: about 1 km on foot towards Deoksugung.

Tripto tips

• Opening hours: 09:00–18:00 (last entry 17:30). Closed Mondays and 1 January; check public-holiday openings before you go.
• Admission: free.
• Getting there: close to Seodaemun Station on Line 5; head for the main entrance of Kangbuk Samsung Hospital. No parking.
• Time needed: 40 minutes to 1 hour for the exhibitions and restored rooms.