The main agenda for today was to visit the famous Gyeongbokgung Palace in downtown Seoul. We wanted not only to visit it but also to do so while wearing traditional Korean clothing called hanbok. All of this was already planned for me, but I didn't know what to expect exactly.
This is how Koreans used to dress up
It's going to be a long day.
- Souvenirs
- YouTube Video
- Relevant Links
- Conclusion
The way to the palace
We are lucky to have Eun-nyoung
Huge thanks to our friend Eun-nyoung again, who gave us a ride to the place and who was holding our heavy jackets (and it was still very cold...) while taking millions of photos.
Korea wouldn't be Korea without those pine trees
She also brought us a warm drink, power banks, and booked a hotel for us, so we can go on a DMZ tour the next day.
This is the location on the map
Formal address: 161 Sajik-ro, Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea
This is the royal palace of the Joseon dynasty that was originally built more than 600 years ago. It was burned down several times and restructured by the Japanese, but after all the struggles that Korea went through, it was rebuilt and restored in its original form.
This is the very basic information, for historical facts can be found on Wikipedia or elsewhere.
Here is us. Thank you, Eun-nyoung, for that blue scarf as well
It was cold again. Very cold.
King Sejong and Yi Sun-sin monuments
Korean founding fathers
Before going to the palace, we stopped by the King Sejong monument nearby.
Nice mountains in the background
It's nice to at least be able to read hanja (Korean alphabet), so I can have some basic understanding (like here it says "Se Jong de Han" and to show off a little bit, but I am so incredibly far from being able to have a normal conversation in Korean.
Like Benjamin Franklin, King Sejong also invented quite a few things in addition to the Korean alphabet, which are displayed right there.
There is also a monument to Yi Sun-sin
Yi Sun-sin is a famous Korean admiral who defeated the Japanese a number of times using the famous Korean turtle ship. There are quotes from his war diary carved in stone. He was a very important figure in Korean history, and there are a couple of good movies about him.
Enormous screens featuring Korean art
We were approaching the Gyeongbokgung Palace and were lucky to catch the Royal Guard Changing Ceremony. Our friend, who is 100% Korean, has never seen the ceremony herself.
I really liked their outfits. Powerful
I also really enjoyed the fact that they announce everything in the palace in 4 languages:
- Korean
- English
- Chinesse
- Japaneese
Maybe not in that order.
It feels really cool to see the ceremony with drums and military shouting when it's narrated in four languages in the background. At that moment I realized that I really love different languages and it's something really cool about listening to them.
Our 3rd Marriage Anniversary
This was a special day
Instead of going to the palace right away, we had to stop by the hanbok (traditional Korean clothing) store first for a few reasons.
The main reason was that today (January 28, 2026) was our 3rd marriage anniversary.
We got married in Mississauga City Hall at 11 am on January 28, 2023. Interestingly, our regular anniversary (our first date and kiss) was on January 27, 2013 at Yorkdale Shopping Centre (movies...). I waited 10 years before I got married to her... Sorry.
I am finally signing it...
In any case, because our marriage in Canada was pretty formal and incomplete (our parents couldn't even make it), this trip to Korea and this experience, walking in the Korean palace wearing hanbok, was kind of our 2nd Korean wedding.
Here is our Instagram video that gives that vibe: https://www.instagram.com/p/DUGCuazjTqj/
The second reason was that the palace entrance for those wearing hanbok is free. Ha ha.
Gowoonsol Hanbok
Hanbok rental shop
After some searching, I finally found the exact address of the place where we rented our hanbok, as there are so many of them.
The girl there was very helpful
The address: South Korea, Seoul, Jongno District, Sajik-ro, 133 3F
After trying out a few things, we found a suitable dress for my wife and an outfit for me.
She looked incredible in a hanbok
I think we lived in Canada too long because only at that time did I fully realize that my wife is Korean. I know it might sound strange. Maybe she won't really feel that I am Russian until we wear a traditional Russian outfit on the Red Square.
It's also kind of fun to see that there are so many modern people walking around the palace in hunbok, from all over the world, and doing their regular modern things like talking on the phone, etc.
Having snacks
This mix of old and new is something interesting in Korea.
Gyeongbokgung Palace
We made it
Luckily, it's possible to wear the winter jacket on top of the hanbok, so we weren't that cold on top. However, I had to wear thin Koran traditional pants, and my wife had to wear the light dress, so it still was quite cold. Not to mention that before each photo we had to take the jackets off.
We are walking to the palace, holding hot pockets
We took more than 200 photos there, most of which were really great.
I like this one, for example
There are several important buildings around which people usually take photos, but to be honest, almost every corner there is beautiful.
Geunjeongjeon Hall, the main throne hall of the palace (side view)
We were trying to catch a moment without many people in the background.
She was amazing...
I guess being out in the palace while wearing hunbok must be something really important for Korean women. It's a special moment.
Gyeonghoeru Pavilion, a banquet hall
There were many photos, as I mentioned, many of which were great. I ended up printing a few and even displayed one in my office to show my clients. It was a good conversation starter.
It's also beautiful with the columns in the background under the roof
Souvenirs
What are we bringing home?
YouTube Video
See more in the video
Relevant Links
What was mentioned in the article
Conclusion
Good and Bad
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