Government-General of Chōsen Building

1926–1996 colonial building in Korea

The Government General of Chōsen Building (hangul=조선총독부 청사), also known as the Japanese General Government Building and the Seoul Capitol, was a building located in Jongno District of Seoul, South Korea, from 1926 to 1996. The Government General Building was constructed by the Empire of Japan on the site of the Gyeongbokgung complex, the royal palace of the Joseon, and was the largest government building in East Asia. The Government General Building served as the chief administrative building of Chōsen and the seat of its governor general in Keijō from 1926 until 1945. The Government General Building was the scene of numerous important events after South Korean independence in 1948, becoming the seat of the National Assembly of South Korea and housing offices of the Government of South Korea until 1950 when it was damaged during the Korean War and intentionally left derelict. President Park Chung Hee restored the Government General Building from 1962 for government functions until the early 1980s and housed the National Museum of South Korea from 1986. Until its demolition, the building was long felt to be a symbol of Japanese imperialism and an impediment to the reconstruction of Gyeongbokgung. The Government General Building was controversially planned for demolition in 1993, and was eventually demolished between 1995 and 1996.

In 1910, Japanese colonization of Korea began when the Empire of Japan formally annexed the Korean Empire in the Japan–Korea Annexation Treaty, ending over 500 years of Joseon rule and losing its sovereignty after five years of Japanese invasion and colonization. The Japanese established the Korean capital city of Hanseong (Seoul) as the colonial capital of Japanese Korea, renaming it to Keijō in Japanese and Gyeongseong in Korean. In 1911, the Japanese decided to erect a new building in Seoul to house the new colonial administration under the governor general of Korea. In 1968, the Western style front gate was demolished for the reconstruction of Gwanghwamun, the main and largest gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace. In 1970, many government offices were moved to the newly constructed Central Government Complex located adjacent to the Government General Building. On 25 May 1981, President Chun Doo hwan gave instruction to move the National Museum of Korea to the Government General Building. In 1982, the South Korean Government announced a moving plan to the people of Korea, and the project begun. After the last State Council meeting was held there on 19 May 1983, it underwent a period of refurbishment, reopening in August 1986 as the National Museum of Korea.

The issue of the Government General Building's future was opened after Kim Young sam became president in 1993. In August of that year, President Kim announced that it would be demolished beginning in 1995, the 50th anniversary of the end of Japanese colonial rule and the 600th anniversary of Gyeongbokgung Palace. Plans were announced for a new National Museum to be built on the site. The Government General Building had been subject to calls for demolition since the presidency of Rhee, almost immediately after the end of Japanese colonial rule. The Government General Building's demolition proposal was controversial in South Korea and there was intense public debate on the issue. President Kim and proponents of the demolition argued that the building was a symbol of Japanese imperialism that had been built deliberately to deface Gyeongbokgung Palace. Opponents of the demolition countered that South Korea, now a wealthy nation, was no longer troubled by such symbolism and that reminders of the colonial era were needed. Many opposed the demolition on the grounds of the expense incurred and the architectural merit of the existing building, as other Japanese colonial era buildings in Seoul, such as the old Seoul Station and Seoul Metropolitan Library, are considered landmarks of the city. Additionally, the building itself was the site of important events such as the declaration of independence of South Korea. A proposal was made to move the Government General Building to a new site, although this would have been far more expensive than demolition. Nevertheless, demolition began on South Korea's Liberation Day (Gwangbokjeol) on 15 August 1995, with the removal of the dome. On 13 November 1996, the building was completely demolished. Today, the top of the dome and several other recognizable pieces of the building can be seen at the Independence Hall Museum in Cheonan, as part of a monument to commemorate the history behind the building and its demolition.