Changdeokgung Secret Garden

This guide to Changdeokgung Secret Garden follows Crown Prince Hyomyeong, who at seventeen was already ruling in place of his ailing father, King Sunjo, inside a royal garden closed for five centuries to anyone but the king and his heir. It traces the small study pavilion he built here to read and compose court dances, among them a piece still performed today, and the powerful clan he pushed out of power during his brief regency. Look for the pavilion ahead, built for reading rather than ruling.