I visited this beautiful palace on 3 separate occasions in 2008. The palace is exquisite, and each time not only was the tour slightly different, with different guides and during a different season, but also on some occasions the tour goes to other locations inside the palace! So I am very happy I went a couple times.

Changdeokgung is one historic site that suffers a bit from misinformation or at least quick judgement. One being too much restoration or lack of authenticity. Second, the garden is dismissed as forest-like with a couple pavilions and a pond. The later I will address more below. The authenticity questions is fair, yet its also complex. Changdeokgung is the best preserved royal palace in Seoul and much of the layout is intact. This cannot be said for Gyeongbokgung or Deoksugung, which are vastly smaller today and only a handful of structures from the Joseon period remain. It is true the majority of buildings at Changdeokgung Palace are restorations, though it should be understood approximately 1 in 3 are original to the rebuilt palace in the 1600's or from later periods of the Joseon Dynasty. Sadly, the Colonial Period put most Korean historic sites in a dire situation, the palaces (symbols of the dynasty and the nation) were purposely and publicly demoted and some might say "polluted". It was not random chance the adjacent palace from Changdeokgung was turned into a zoo. Therefore, the relatively intact survival of Changdeokgung Palace Complex is exceptional.

The secret garden displays uniquely Korean aesthetics. One being the restraint to not disturb nature's beauty. How can humans improve it? Therefore, the underlying theme of Korean gardens with man-made pavilions, paths, and ponds is to allow the individual to better view nature and its beauty, not control it or artificially create beauty. Essentially, traditional Korean gardens are unforced, the design is in fact aimed to reflect simplicity. Confucian thought certainly has influenced Korean garden design and its seen here at Changdeokgung.