Before the Jokbal: How Jangchung-dong Got Its Name

An altar for the loyal

In 1895, Japanese assassins killed Empress Myeongseong inside Gyeongbokgung Palace, and many guards and officials died trying to stop them. In 1900, Emperor Gojong built Jangchungdan to honor them, along with those who died in earlier uprisings. "Jangchung" means to honor loyalty. At first the grounds covered the whole area where the Shilla Hotel stands today. The park is only a part of it. Memorial rites were held there every spring and fall, nineteen times in all, until October 1909.

A park, a temple and a borrowed gate

Under Japanese pressure, the rites stopped. In the late 1920s, cherry trees and walking paths were planted, and the altar became "Jangchungdan Park." In 1932, the colonial government built Bakmunsa, a temple honoring Ito Hirobumi, on the hill. It used stone and wood taken from Gyeongbokgung, and it took the main gate of Gyeonghuigung Palace as its own front gate. The hill was even renamed after Ito's pen name. Today, the Shilla Hotel's guesthouse stands where the temple was.
 

Getting the name back
 

On October 1, 1946, as Japanese-style place names were replaced, the area was officially named Jangchung-dong. After liberation, the temple was torn down and the old Jangchungdan stone tablet was brought back. It was moved to its current spot in the park in 1969, and since 1988 a committee has held a memorial rite there every year.
 

What to look for in the park today

• The Jangchungdan stone tablet, the only part of the original altar still standing.

• Statues of independence activists, added after liberation.

• Supyogyo, a Joseon-era bridge that once measured the water level of Cheonggyecheon. It was moved here in 1965.