Gyeonggyojang
historic building in Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea
Gyeonggyojang (Korean: 경교장) is a historic building located in Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea. It was built in 1938, during the Japanese colonial period. From November 4, 1945 to 1949, it was the private residence of Kim Ku, the President of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, as well as the headquarters of that government and Kim's Korea Independence Party.
From 1949 to 1952, it was used as the embassy building of the Republic of China. It was used as part of Korea Hospital beginning in 1967. It was designated National Designated Cultural Heritage No. 465 on June 13, 2005.
Description
Gyeonggyojang is located across the East Theater between Gwanghwamun and Seodaemun, which is the site of Samsung Medical Center in Pyeong-dong, Jongno District, near Seodaemun Station.
The building has two floors above ground and one basement floor. It is a Japanese-style house, which was built with a total floor area of 396.69 m2 and a total floor area of 945.45 m2 in 1938.
“Gyeonggyojang” enters the record as historic building in Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Gyeonggyojang, historic and building can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Gyeonggyojang” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Gyeonggyojang, historic and building provides the most credible route into that argument.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 12, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q12583523. The first chronological checks are 1938, 1945, 1949 and 1952.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Gyeonggyojang”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Gyeonggyojang primary sources, Gyeonggyojang archive and Gyeonggyojang research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Gyeonggyojang”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Gyeonggyojang” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.