The National Palace Museum of Korea, located on the grounds of Gyeongbokgung Palace, houses a collection of over 900 relics and 40,000 artifacts from the royal court of Joseon Dynasty palaces including Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung, and Jongmyo.
Originally, the museum was known as the Korean Imperial Museum when it opened on the grounds of Changgyeonggung in 1908.
Over the years the name has changed named multiple times. During the Japanese occupation in the late 1930s, it was known as the Museum of Yi Dynasty. In 1946, it changed names to the Deoksugung Museum, after the liberation of Korea.
Finally in 2005, it was renamed the National Palace Museum Of Korea and relocated to the grounds of Gyeongbokgung.
On the first floor you can find displays about royal childbirth, education, and scholarly culture. There are also displays from the Korean Empire including vehicles, photographs, and everyday items that belonged to an emperor. There is also a cafe and shop to buy souvenirs on the first floor.
On the second floor there are exhibitions of the Joseon Dynasty including ceremonial relics, royal seals, clothing, paintings, musical instruments, architectural relics, astronomical devices, royal attire, and water clock.
Down in the basement, visitors can find exhibitions of Joseon music and instruments, paintings, royal ceremonial objects, and a reproduction of a famous self-striking water clock.
